Not All Things Are So Simply Defined (A Post-Skyward Sword Fanfic)
by Astragon
Summary: Lanayru was once a great civilization. The Hero only uncovered a fraction of what it was. He also never found out why it died out. Coupled with precognitive dreams pointing to strange new beings not seen for 8,000 years, the entire world of Skyward Sword is in for a very massive change. But what is good and what is evil? They are only different opinions on one's goals.
1. Chapter 1: Those Who Remember

**Ok guys this is my first fanfic that I've ever actually written, so I'm looking for constructive criticism on it. Even if the first chapter seems uninteresting, I encourage you to keep reading as subsequent chapters get substantially better. Please leave reviews!**

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Not All Things Are So Simply Defined

Chapter 1: Those Who Remember

It was a very beautiful, if rather cold, day in Skyloft. Link awoke to Zelda's Loftwing delivering a letter to him through his window. Through rather startled by the bird's presence so early, he was more than used to it.

" _Will you ever get up? Let's go visit the surface today! There are things I need to tell you."_ the letter read.

Slowly, Link groggily got to his feet. It had been about a month since he returned to the present time after defeating Demise. He, or what was left of him, was sealed in the Master Sword, which was firmly stuck in stone at the Sealed Temple. He was one sonofabitch, yet Link never exactly understood _why_ he wanted to build a new world. He never asked the, well, thing why he wanted to do so. Link assumed the world Demise would build was not anything most living things would agree with and chose to protect his friends instead. Not to mention, Demise absorbed Zelda's very soul, who was only recently discovered to be the goddess Hylia. Now she has returned to her normal life, and only Link and Groose know anything of it now.

Link met Zelda and Groose at the main plaza, near the lighthouse where a beam of light projects to open a path to a seemingly permanent thunderhead. The skies have cleared somewhat, however, and they are especially clear over Lanayru, explaining why it remains a desert. Rain clouds approach and then almost inexplicably break apart or change course to merge with the thunderhead.

Based on Groose's facial expression, Link assumed Groose had received a similar letter. They took off together on their Loftwings, heading for the Faron Woods, still covered in morning dew. They said little to each other.

Upon arrival, Zelda spoke up.

"Have any of you been having strange dreams recently, involving any of the surface lands or something related to them?"

Groose shook his head. Link, however, had partial nightmares from his experiences in the Silent Realms, as well as glimpsing a shadowy, vaguely human figure walking in the ethereal world, saying something he couldn't hear to the Guardians. He told both Zelda and Groose this, but neither knew what the dream/nightmare meant.

A deep rumble disturbed all the previously serene wildlife. It emanated from the temple. One of the Gorons who had taken up residence in Faron, named Gorko, spoke to all of them.

"Those shaking sounds have been common recently, along with two voices I didn't recognize. There hasn't been exactly anyone to tell recently, so I just went along with my daily travels. At least almost all the monsters are gone, save for the carnivorous plants."

Link replied, "Thanks for telling us."

The ground shook again. However, the ripple came from under the Goddess Statue. Wasn't Demise's aberration dead?

The shaking began to become a constant, almost rhythmic alternation between shaking from the temple and shaking under the statue. They almost seemed to resonate with one another in an eerie way.


	2. Chapter 2: Two Souls

Chapter 2: Two souls

As they entered the temple, the shaking stirred up the ages of dust on the floor. As all people present had initially suspected, one source of the vibrations was the Master Sword. It was glowing with three different colors. First it was blue-white, then a deep amethyst, and finally jet black with bits of red.

Three voices were heard, all speaking unintelligible words. Almost reacting to the goddess's presence, the rumbling stopped briefly. All three colors then surfaced on the blade simultaneously, emerging from its confines. The bluish-white one immediately returned to the blade, while the other two tangled around each other, almost as if they were fighting.

The orb of mixed color then was wrapped in an amethyst fire, and the black color was forcibly ejected. It hit the floor, skidded to a stop, and took the form it had in life.

It was a translucent image of Demise. The image glanced at Zelda and Link and then expired, completely removed from this world for all eternity.

Then the Master Sword was ejected from its pedestal. As the amethyst spirit glowed ever brighter, it then darkened to a jet black color. It began to move toward the chamber where Zelda was once sealed. Like a trail of smoke, it slowly drifted up into the sky.

The smoke trail was clearly the soul of something, but of what, nobody really knew. It began to undulate up, down, and sideways, pulsating the same eerie shade of amethyst.

All three previous adventurers ran outside. The Triforce was protected by a barrier it generated, and the unidentified spirit appeared to know this. It turned away from the holy artifact and began a slow, guided drift toward the Lanayru desert.


	3. Chapter 3: Unexpected

Chapter 3: Unexpected

The Lanayru desert was unusually cold today. Not freezing cold, but only about 70oF as opposed to the usual hundred or more. Link had retrieved the Master Sword, but even so, Fi was still "spiritual scuffle" did nothing to wake her, even though based on color alone he was certain one of the three spirits in the sword was her. Link arrived at the rim of Lanayru Desert and looked around.

The dark, pulsating cloud was on the horizon. It approached at a slow, steady pace. Every now and then a cone-shaped beam of pale violet light shone from a just barely visible solid object at the cloud's center. The beam passed by Link, then fixed on him. Its outer radius contracted to focus not on him, but on something he was carrying.

A small stream of the mass split off and descended to ground level, heading straight for Link. It accelerated, and Link drew his familiar sword. He held it upward and charged a Skyward Strike. He unleashed the energy in a vertical disk. It passed through the cloud and hit nothing.

Zelda and Groose both did not have Link's exceptional stamina and just arrived in time to see the cloud collide with Link and obscure him from view. Almost as fast as it blew by him, it lifted skyward to rejoin the main mass that was now directly overhead. Link was unscathed, but he felt like something was missing.

All of them heard harp strings being played. And Link wasn't the one playing it. The cloud itself was strumming the harp, and then began to play a familiar tune, one only Link previously thought he and Fi knew. A pale blue glow was visible from the harp, and it caused a familiar gate to open in the ground. It was the gate to the Silent Realm. None of them said a word, for wasn't that world only open to the chosen hero? And how did this _thing_ know Nayru's Wisdom in the first place?

The cloud descended into a fine point and gradually entered the portal, forcing its way in. It entered slowly, obviously encountering resistance. The solid object at the center of the cloud impaled itself in the sand at the center of the portal as the last traces entered.

Link gulped down an awful-tasting enhanced stamina potion and dashed towards the portal. He drew his sword and prepared to shatter the stone. An energy barrier formed and knocked him back.

About ten minutes later, Groose caught up to Link, carrying Zelda.

"The spirit in that thing said something as it passed by me and took the harp." Link told them, who both immediately got perplexed looks on their faces.

"It said, ' _I am home_ '."

"And you're certain it wasn't that soul-stealing greaseball you fought before?" Groose asked

"I'm not sure, but it felt different. Demise gave off an arrogance in his voice; this thing sounded calm and collected." Link responded

"Could you tell if the spirit was good or evil?" Zelda asks

Link shakes his head, "I could not tell."

The spirit assumed a humanlike shape as it materializes in the Silent Realm. It steps outside the circular portal and the Guardians activate. However, upon seeing who has entered, they don't know if this is a hero being tested or something else.

The dark spirit says, "I request an audience with the Guardians of this world."

"Are you the next hero we shall test?" one of them responds

"Is that all you think?" the spirit says, "I am not a hero by your definitions."

"We don't understand."

"When the goddess created you and left you here, she told you to test heroes, correct?"

"Yes."

"What after the first hero has come and gone?"

"We wait for the next one."

"What would you think if I told you that there will be no more heroes who come to this place? That you are all destined to sit here, rot, and decay along with this world. That the world outside this one will move on while this place remains frozen in time." the spirit says, "And now your goddess lacks the power to release you from this _prison_ of sorts."

"You…who are you and …are you serious?" several of the Guardians ask. "We have minds of our own but act completely opposite when performing our intended purpose. That way the hero being tested is not a fake. We were told that more heroes would come after the first, each chosen by the Goddess herself. Were we wrong, or was she?"

The spirit shows two reddish-tinted eyes and says, "You both were. The goddess thought about heroes when making this place, but didn't consider that only one would come here. He came, was tested, passed each time, and left. No others will know to come here because all who know are keeping quiet about their travels. The hero, the goddess in her mortal form, and a friend of theirs who know are not talking about what they did at all. They may never talk about it until the day they pass on. Because of this, no heroes will ever arrive again. The goddess Hylia betrayed you all, and you'll never be able to reach the surface world alone, even though you will eventually want to."

" _Hylia... betrayed... us_..." many of them say as they think about the gravity of their harsh reality. They were trapped in the Silent Realm with no way out. They did what they were put there to do and now nobody would repay them. They felt true anger for the first time in centuries, and they wanted out of their spiritual prison that will never change.

"I could help you get to the real world, and if you work with me, I will allow you to exact your vengeance when the time is right." the dark spirit says

"Tell us your name." one of the Guardians says

"I shall in time."


	4. Chapter 4: An Old Enemy Never Died

Chapter 4: An old enemy never died

Link eventually found his stolen harp, as the spirit had dropped it after playing Nayru's Wisdom. Seeing the barrier that was erected around the open portal, there was not much Link could do. Even though the Master Sword had the power to smite evil, the barrier did not budge when struck with it. The being that made it was obviously not pure evil, but a strange mix perhaps.

Link, Zelda, and Groose called their Loftwings, who did not mind travelling to the surface after it had been largely cleansed of evil beings. They flew into the skies and headed for Skyloft.

A few Octorocks decided it was a good moment to snipe the trio with rocks. They aren't so much "evil beings" as they are wild beasts, hence why they remain.

Link, somewhat irritated by these things attacking him now, of all times, draws the Master Sword. He commands his Loftwing to dive towards the vaguely squid-like beings. He dives by them at roughly 120 miles per hour, slicing all of them in two. Violet blood stains the floating, otherwise uninhabitable boulder as the three Loftwings return to Skyloft.

Link walks over to the bazaar, and he is immediately noticed by that stalker of a salesman. Sighing to himself, he pays the creepy person's stall a visit.

"Hello good sir!" the man says with his unnatural smile.

"I'll buy some bombs, arrows, and slingshot seeds please."

"No problem good customer!" says the salesman

After handing the man the appropriate payment, Link pulls him aside and whispers in his ear, "Your stalking tendencies and creepy smile are not helping you get more customers. Both are driving them away. Try to look relaxed and smile normally, like you're actually enjoying your job."

Link then walks away, leaving the salesman with his jaw on the floor. Link then heads over to the Item Check.

"Helloooo Darling!" Peatrice says. Even though Link has more of a crush on Zelda, he must admit that Peatrice is rather cute.

"I need to deposit a few items and retrieve a large bomb bag, a large quiver, and a large slingshot seed bag." Link says as he hands over a spare shield and a couple extra bottles.

"No problem!" says Peatrice with her characteristic cute smile.

"Thank you!" Link says as he stops by the potion shop. Unlike that unnaturally cheeky salesman across from them, the couple that runs this place is cheerful but not creepy.

Link uses his one remaining bottle on his person and fills it with red potion, paying the quite cheap payment of 20 rupees to Luv, the potion lady. He then hands over the required insects to upgrade it twice, including those god-awful-to-catch Sand Cicadas. Bertie takes a hold of them, throws in the insects, and pours in the potion, stirring the foul-smelling mix rapidly. He then uses a sort of strainer to remove unusable insect exoskeletons before rapidly stirring the mixture again. When the potion is done, it begins to float on top of the greenish catalytic sludge, being less dense than the sludge. Bertie grabs a cool handle on the side of the pot and slowly pours off the potion but not the sludge into Link's bottle. Link leaves the much larger payment for the upgrades on the potion, but its boosted effects are well worth the price - and worth collecting those irritating sand cicadas.

As Link heads over to the central plaza, he is stopped by Zelda.

"Where do you think you're going?" she says, obviously annoyed

"I have some questions that I must answer." Link replies

"How do you intend to answer them?" Zelda asks

Link explains what he intends to do and then Zelda realizes, "You could answer them in Skyloft instead of Faron. Just do it at night. You, of all people, need to rest after what happened earlier."

Then Zelda surprises him by suddenly hugging him.

"Okay, okay, I'll stay in Skyloft." Link says. He then surprises Zelda by kissing her on the cheek before walking toward the Academy where he still lives. He strolls inside, enters his room, and quickly falls asleep.

* _poke_

Link opens his eyes to see Zelda.

"Sometimes you're rather forgetful, especially when you sleep. I decided to wake you up when everyone else is asleep."

"Thanks." Link groggily says.

He dons his equipment and heads over to the plaza. Ever since the Master Sword has been re-drawn from its pedestal, Fi has been silent. Perhaps she will never wake again. After all, she did say her duty was complete.

Link plays the Song of the Hero, and the familiar Silent Realm portal appears. Zelda takes the place of Fi, and the two perform the duet required to fully open the portal. Link stabs his sword into the ground and his spirit enters the Silent Realm.

His spirit materializes in the world. Unlike the first time he came to the Goddess's Silent Realm, the place is anything but quiet. The sky is its normal, tranquil color, but no Watchers are around. All the Guardians are moving around. Link walks outside of the circle and tenses. A few nearby ones notice him, but they don't attack. Maybe it is because he completed the trial already.

"Greetings, hero chosen by Hylia." the nearest Guardian says. "You have been tested already and you passed. Why is it that you return?"

"Just a few questions to answer, based on recent events." Link says, somewhat startled by the fact that the Guardians actually spoke.

"You mean what has been happening in Lanayru?" a different Guardian says as it phases up through the floor behind him.

"Y-yes." Link stammers, thoroughly startled by the one behind him.

"A strange being appeared down there, and made an interesting proposition to us. We all have heard about it, and so far, many of us have not yet made up our minds fully. However, now that we have already finished testing you, our task is done. We want to leave this place. It is boring and dull with no more heroes to test. That is all we shall tell you. Go collect what Dusk Relics you want to, but you won't get any more info from us. We have no grudge with you, but we do have one with someone else." The Guardian behind Link says

This place is admittedly very peaceful and soothing to the soul - when you're not being chased by nine-foot tall armored warriors with long maces and swords that threaten to destroy your very spirit. Link finds many Dusk relics around here, and then overhears two Guardians talking. He moves closer but stays out of their view.

"Should we follow the newcomer?" the first one says

"I'm sick of being bored to death around here now that we've done our job." the second replies. "I want to see what the real world is like, not an aberration of it that is perpetually frozen in time."

Link then sees two swords being held to his neck.

"We said you could collect Dusk Relics, but because we didn't tell you everything you wanted to hear you decide to eavesdrop on us?" the very annoyed Guardian says

Link is unable to say any more as one sword stabs through him.

Link wakes up with a start, tired and feeling all the pain of being stabbed in his stomach. However, he has no wound.

"Link! What happened? I thought they wouldn't attack you because you finished their trial!" Zelda says

Link explained that as he could roam the version of Skyloft and collect Dusk Relics, he overheard a conversation that piqued his interest. He was then found out and stabbed in his stomach, driving his spirit out of the Silent Realm.

"IDIOT!"

Link then falls unconscious from exhaustion.

A whole week passes by before he recovers somewhat, as he has been passing in and out of consciousness all the time. Getting your soul stabbed through the stomach is _far_ more painful than the corresponding flesh wound.

Link is shaken awake by Zelda and Groose. He ignores residual stabbing pains as they help him run outside to the central plaza.

Everyone is gathered here, looking at something in the distance.

"What's all the commotion about?" Link says

Groose gestures with his head towards the light that marks Lanayru. Not very far from the yellow beam that everyone is used to is a second jet-black beam. He turns to Zelda, who practically force-feeds him a strangely colored potion. His stabbing pains go away and he finally feels normal again.

"What was that for?" Link half-yells at Zelda, partially choking on the stuff.

"A unique potion made from very rare herbs found on the surface. I went to the woods, searched for two whole days, brought them to Luv, who brewed them into a unique potion. Because it was something she had never made before, I had to cough up 500 rupees to cover it. It was to heal your spiritual wounds, otherwise they would take a decade to heal." Zelda says with a few tears in her eyes. She hugs him tightly, and Link returns the gesture. Zelda continues, "I'm afraid of what we are dealing with. Of what that cloud could possibly be. The beam is a signal of some kind."

The beam suddenly changes from black to a deep violet, beginning to eerily pulsate between a deep violet and a brilliant white. Link jumps off Skyloft and calls his Loftwing, and before Zelda and Groose can follow, Zelda's father stops them.

Link heads towards the beam of light and dives onto it. He arrives on top of the mining facility, and memories of that broken-down place make him cringe for a split second. He sees the beam emanating from the black stone that had wedged itself into the ground when the cloud entered the Silent Realm.

The stone stops producing the beam and changes color from black to the same violet color. It begins to grow into a bowl-shaped object supported by four short stilts. The "bowl" then grows upward more, eventually becoming a hollow, translucent, violet ellipsoid. The stone then begins to float on a liquid that gathers inside the structure. The barrier protecting it disappears, and Link sees a chance to stop whatever is happening before it could get worse. However, as Link draws his sword, a different, yet oddly familiar barrier appears around the violet structure.

Perched atop the buried building just to the north, Ghirahim laughs.


	5. Chapter 5: Return to Reality

Chapter 5: Return to Reality

How could Ghirahim have survived all this time? Link swore he saw his sword form vanish into thin air when he defeated Demise. The sword did vanish, and Link assumed Ghirahim died with his master.

Yet, here he was.

"I like that shocked look on your face. You thought I was dead, didn't you?" Ghirahim says in his usual mocking tone. Yes, this was no fake. This was the real Ghirahim.

"I reappeared from the realm Demise took you to and managed to sneak through the Gate of Time as an invisible spirit. I re-materialized as my sword form, stuck in the soil of Faron Woods. Eventually I changed myself back to, well, myself. After waking up, I sat in the woods for quite a while, unsure of what to do next." Ghirahim explains

"And why exactly are you here, let alone interfering with us? What is going on here is of no concern to an albino bastard such as yourself!" Zelda yells at him

"My, my, it seems the goddess has quite the mouth on her. How amusing at a time like this." Ghirahim replies and laughs. "After mentally coming to grips that Demise will not be coming back, I just began to wander. I then saw the violet beacon emanating from this _resurrection chamber_ and it piqued my interest. I even felt a trace of Demise from the direction of this thing."

"So, are you still obsessed with reviving your grease-wad of a master?" Groose yells at him

Ghirahim's mood changes upon seeing Groose. "So, you still haven't lost that haircut, have you? Very, very few things in this world disgust me, but THAT is one of them. Unlike some reject like you, I keep mine looking reasonable."

"REJECT?" Groose yells

"I bet I am not the only one who laughs behind your back about your appalling hairdo. I even remember as I was extracting the goddess's soul I got a brief glance at some of her memories as a mortal. One of those was of her snickering behind a tree as she saw you for the first time." Ghirahim yells back and laughs again, "And to answer your question, no, I no longer care about reviving Demise, even if a trace of his spirit remains. I mentally woke up. I stopped thinking that Demise was so incredible and simply moved on."

Link then says, "You, of all people or demons, are not the type to move on from anything. Did something change?"

Ghirahim glares at Link and yells, "I REALIZED HE TREATED ME LIKE GARBAGE!"

Groose, Link, and Zelda all froze. Zelda then speaks up, "I...don't understand."

"Link, you remember when Demise was revived, after all the effort I put into it, what I said to him?"

Link nods.

"I welcomed him back from being imprisoned, and he didn't say a single word. Not even a simple "Thank you, Ghirahim." I felt sick with rage, even as I laughed maniacally as he turned my body into its sword form." Ghirahim yells at the three.

Link speaks up, "I still don't understand why you are here and not somewhere else. Why go bother us when you have nothing to gain?"

Ghirahim smirks, "It is very amusing, actually. I am curious as to who is going to appear in that _resurrection chamber_ over there. You assume it to be something that isn't good and your first instinct is to destroy it? You aren't much better than Demise, I'm afraid, destroying everything that you don't agree with, all in the name of _good_."

Link froze for two reasons. During his entire journey, he had never thought of all his exploits that way. He _did_ kill many thousands of monsters, some "evil," some just hostile wild beasts. He broke every breakable object he could find in every dungeon he traversed, all for money to buy new adventuring supplies. The second reason he froze was what Ghirahim said, and Link responded after about ten silent minutes, "A resurrection chamber?"

"They come in many forms, but I am far more familiar with magic than you, and I know one when I see it." Ghirahim responds

The chamber fills completely with a translucent liquid, and the stone floats to about ⅔ of the way up the chamber. The inner lining of the chamber grows a single spike that connects to the crystal, and the crystal then begins to steadily pulsate with a white light. Every time the light fades, it seems the stone inside has grown just a small amount. It splits in two, and one piece moves upward before growing in many different directions. The lower part begins to grow concentric layers of crystal around itself, and as it finishes, it begins to move. The upper crystal is a sort of brain, and the lower part is a beating heart. A skeleton gradually materializes, but continued growth is obscured by the pulsating light, which is getting so bright it is literally capable of blinding any who look at it.

All four beings present hear whatever is inside moving around, testing its limbs to make sure they are growing properly. As growth continues, the pulsating light is obscured. The crystal layers are not blocking it though. The liquid inside is darkening to a jet-black color. Exactly _what_ is growing in there is a mystery to all present. Yet, all are quiet as their curiosities run rampant inside their minds.

It seems like two hours have passed. Everyone, even Ghirahim, becomes startled upon hearing something unusual.

* _CRACK_

The chamber slowly splits open, yet the liquid inside seems to defy the laws of nature and maintains its shape. The crystal layer breaks down into an amethyst dust, and the ellipsoid of liquid and whatever is inside touches the ground. The liquid slowly recedes and changes shape, becoming solid and weaving itself into fabric with an otherworldly quality. The being is wearing fairly loose, dark robes. All that is visible are its hands and feet, both a highly contrasting amethyst color to the robes. Its head is not visible, but two piercing, glowing red eyes are visible from under some sort of hood.

The being looks around. It glances at Ghirahim and the others and whispers something to itself. It slowly begins to calmly walk away, to the east. It walks over some quicksand, but it doesn't sink. It walks across the sand as if it recognizes what this place is. It walks perfectly on the buried paths, without a map and beacons no less.

All four beings who saw turned and stared at it. The being stopped and said, "How long do you intend to keep staring at me?" in a somewhat masculine voice.

"Who and what are you?" Zelda asks

The being laughs slightly, "Are you actually the goddess? Since when did she degrade herself from a magnificent form to a mortal human?"

"How do you recognize me?" Zelda asks

"So many questions, not exactly much time to spare. I can tell based on how you look. Your visage is virtually identical, as are your bodily proportions. Not to mention, I last walked this Earth when you were still immortal, and the name "Demon King" was just a rumor. If you had clear memories as Hylia, you would remember exactly what I am."

The being turns to see Link standing in front of him, sword drawn.

"You have no idea who or what I am and you want to kill me?" the being says, sounding amused. "Fine, I'll play with you. A fight after several thousand years would be somewhat refreshing."

The being draws no weapon and merely enters a battle stance. Link notices that the being's, well, his hands have no wrists and are floating at the ends of his sleeves. Link runs towards the unknown being and prepares to stab him through his crystal heart. The being grabs the blade, stopping his attack. He then suckerpunches Link in the stomach, causing his grip to loosen. The being wrenches the Master Sword free and holds it by the hilt. To Link's astonishment, the effect of the blade being "evil's bane" has no effect whatsoever on the being.

"Interesting blade you have. Is this the same one that was forged by the humans in Faron Woods in honor of their goddess?" the being says

The being hits Link in the stomach with the Master Sword's hilt, then hits him with a punch hard enough to crack a rib. While Link is doubled over in pain, the being delivers a swift uppercut to Link's jaw, knocking him flat on his back. The thing leaves the Master Sword on the ground, saying, "And _you_ must be the goddess's chosen hero. You are absolutely pathetic. And you killed the Demon King with those fighting moves? I'm honestly not sure who was more pathetic, you or him."

Link slowly says, "How...do you know...about...me killing...Demise?"

"That is a long story, too long for now. It can wait until some other time. I must get going."


	6. Chapter 6: A Great Disaster

Chapter 6: A great disaster

He was gone in just a few minutes' time. Ghirahim's curiosity was not yet sated, so he decided to follow him. It seemed simple enough. Only when one is traversing open scrublands between the Faron Woods and the Lanayru Desert there is not exactly much cover.

"It seems one of you is still following me. Why so?" he says

Ghirahim is surprised for the being to notice him, even though he has been hiding behind whatever cover is available. "I want to know who and what you are."

"Oh, do you? You must be that living sword I heard about that fell into the hands of the Demon King. What is your name?" the being says

"Ghirahim."

"Mine is Gorgonis."

Ghirahim then asks, "So, where are you going?"

"My body is just barely revived. I have only moveable stubs for arms and two floating hands. It seems that the Silent Realm just wasn't enough, though at least I'm alive." Gorgonis says, "You could become a powerful ally of mine if you wanted to, though you may not agree with some of my goals. Either way, I heard much of the conversation you had with that sad excuse for a hero. The Demon King treated you like a person would a house, correct?"

"He did. I only recently realized this, after he was dead." Ghirahim says

"Maybe he had some sort of spell on you while he was still alive. That shows that he never actually trusted you at all." Gorgonis says, "I have some very ambitious goals that will be put into motion soon, and some help would be nice. You can help if you want to, Ghirahim. If you do, I will treat you like an intelligent being, not just an object. If you choose not to, then don't interfere with what I'll be doing."

Gorgonis continues walking toward Faron. Ghirahim follows, and Gorgonis notices. "So you would like to help?"

"It depends on what those goals are." Ghirahim says

"I will tell you in time. Full trust in someone takes time to develop, and because I just met you, I haven't enough reasons to trust you fully. Is it your insatiable curiosity that is driving you?" Gorgonis asks, but gets no reply.

The two eventually reach Faron. Ghirahim finally speaks up again, asking, "What do you need from that tree?"

Gorgonis grins under his cloak and says, "Be patient, you will see. As will the hero that is no doubt following me."

Gorgonis reaches the base of the tree, and slams one open palm into the bark. The bark, normally virtually impenetrable, gives way. The sleeves of his robe hang on him as if his arms are physically there but not visible. The wound begins to glow as a greenish liquid oozes forth. Gorgonis begins to siphon this substance into his person, and the robes he is wearing begin to radiate a dark aura. The aura thickens, obscuring him from Ghirahim's view but also alerting the fairly close-by hero to his location. Despite the deafening wind emanating from the obviously ancient being, the sounds of crystals growing can be heard.

Link finally catches up to Gorgonis, surprised to see Ghirahim with him. "Did he say something to you to make you join him, or are you simply curious about him?"

"A little of both, actually." Gorgonis says as the aura fades. The wound in the bark has healed, sealing away one of the floating hands. Gorgonis deactivates the other one, no longer needing it. He now has full arms. Half of the giant tree's leaves are turning brown and falling off.

Link is shocked, "W-what the hell did you just do?!"

"My body was just barely revived back there. I needed additional energy that the Silent Realm didn't have in any quantity. That was the energy of life. No, I am not some kind of sick anti-life being. I merely needed some from a concentrated source to fully revive." Gorgonis says in a calm voice

Now, he reveals his face. It is humanoid in shape but made of a sort of living amethyst crisscrossed with thousands of thin quartz veins. His eyes were almost reminiscent of shining rubies, and as he spoke his insides were shown to be the same crystalline mix.

"So, do you want a rematch after being defeated so easily?" Gorgonis says with a slight grin

Link says nothing and draws his sword. Gorgonis opens his right palm and a single black crystal detaches from his palm. It levitates before turning 90o and glowing with an eerie black light. It grows into a pitch-black blade that glows with an equally dark aura. Gorgonis charges at Link, who charges a skyward strike. The two swords make contact, and the skyward strike is drained from the Master Sword. Neither is budging, but Gorgonis then hits Link with an uppercut that distracts him from the pain. Gorgonis then makes a tiny slit on Link's hand, enough pain to make him drop his weapon. The slit is bleeding heavily, since it hit an artery. Link then trips the obviously overconfident bastard with a kick to the shins. He grabs his sword, charges a skyward strike, and leaps towards Gorgonis. He stabs the being with a finishing blow, yet he doesn't die or even act like he is hurt at all. Gorgonis removes the blade from his abdomen with his free hand. The wound begins to quickly heal over, boosted by the life energy of the tree. He then holds both weapons upward, charging each with energy. He crosses the blades and unleashes a maelstrom of energy towards Link.

Link blocks the attack with the Hylian shield, but the mixed attack actually damages it slightly.

Gorgonis then stabs the Master Sword into the ground and turns to leave, saying, "Your tenacity is curious, yet boring. I've seen too many like you. You assume one thing when your assumption is usually wrong. Why do you want to kill me? Is it because I absorbed some of Demise's leftover power? Do you assume me to be evil? If I was evil, that blade would have violently rejected me even touching it. The blade could not tell."

Link stammers, "I-I don't understand. H-how could anyone else except me be able to use the Master Sword? Wasn't it made only to be wielded by the goddess's chosen hero?"

"It was made to be used by heroes, but not just the goddess's chosen. It is a powerful blade, but the blade does not see me as evil, so it cannot really hurt me. _You could almost refer to me as a sort of hero, one with different goals than yours._ "

Gorgonis then laughs and teleports away, as does Ghirahim.

The dying giant tree begins to release its stored water, flooding the woods once more. Link remembers why the Water Dragon flooded the woods - it was to drive out the monsters infesting the place. Now they were being flooded, albeit not nearly as much as before, because the tree that stores all that water could no longer hold it. Everything at about canopy level was underwater, and then an awful cracking was heard. The wound Gorgonis made drained much of the strength from one of the tree's main roots. The tree was so enormous that the dead root couldn't support it any longer. The whole thing began to slowly tilt sideways, and an awful groaning noise was heard from the other side as the living roots strained to hold the tree up. These roots were gradually torn from the ground as the tree's dead roots collapsed under its weight. It fell to one side, hitting the ground with such force that the earth shook and the cliff face to the east it landed on was split clean in two. The water flooding the area began to drain into the surrounding plains and forested areas, dropping to a normal level that would eventually be absorbed by other life forms.

Faron, the Water Dragon, was livid about what just transpired. She erupted from Lake Floria in such a seething rage that the water she touched began to boil. She flew overhead, finding the being responsible for this atrocity.

"You must be the baby dragon I remember seeing when I was last alive. I see you're not pleased with your precious tree falling, but nothing lasts forever. Trees sprout from the ground and fall over all the time. Are you just mad because it was a tree that had lived for a millennium?" Gorgonis says with an obvious "I don't care" attitude.

"That tree kept the whole forest safe from floods! It was perfectly healthy and you drained its life force, causing it to collapse!" Faron yells

"And you think I'll fix it for you? I have far more important things to attend to." Gorgonis says with the same attitude.

The dragon seems to take on another level of lividity, and she launches a torrent of boiling water at Gorgonis. Ghirahim teleports behind her, drawing one of his two swords. Gorgonis draws his own ebon sword. He charges his blade with energy and slices the torrent in two, causing it to stop.

"I underestimated how much concentrated life energy it would take to completely resurrect me. Would you rather have me take it from all the normal trees in the forest instead of one giant one?" Gorgonis says with a slight grin. "I don't want to fight you, Faron, but if you refuse to back off you give me little choice."

Ghirahim draws an improved version of his two-handed broadsword, one that is not dented so easily. The dragon whips around, forcing Ghirahim to block the fast-moving tail. As Gorgonis sees this, he covers his blade with a deep violet glow, whispers something under his breath, and stabs the dragon in one arm. The energy wraps around Faron's midsection, tail, and other arm, solidifying into amethyst chains. Faron drops to the ground, now immobilized as the crystals drain her life force.

"This will not kill you, rather, it will simply keep you still. These chains are not permanent, and they shall disappear in roughly a day or two. I have no reason to kill you or even seriously wound you like Ghirahim did in the past. That giant tree may have been holding vast amounts of water, but its presence actually prevented more of its kind from growing. I sense at least ten or fifteen seedlings from that tree, all reacting to the bright forest sun. I did you dirt in the short-term but a service in the long run. Leave me alone and I shall leave you alone." Gorgonis says to the immobilized dragon.

The two teleport away just as Link arrives at Faron's location. He weakens the crystal bindings so she can escape. The dragon thanks him, and stays where she is to think about what transpired. "A truly evil being would have killed me without a second thought. I have no idea who this being is, or what his motive is." Faron says to Link.

Link then asks, "Did he say anything to you before you fought?"

"He said he remembered when I was only about as big as you. That was _eight thousand years ago_. The only race to fade into oblivion between then and now that I knew of were the robots of Lanayru province. Did he say anything that did not make sense to you?"

Link then says, "Both what he said and what he did. We fought at the base of the tree before it collapsed. He managed to steal the Master Sword from me and proceeded to use it as well as I could use it against me. I didn't understand how he could've done that, and he said, " _You could refer to me as a sort of hero, one with different goals than yours_.""

"Do you intend to keep following him?" Faron says with a hint of worry

"Until I find out what he intends to do and why. Also, to find out why Ghirahim joined up with him." Link says with hardened resolve.


	7. Chapter 7: A Hidden Artifact

Chapter 7: A hidden artifact

Gorgonis had left Faron, heading northwest almost entirely on foot. He could only teleport a mile or so, as it was a highly complex magic.

Ghirahim complained, "I thought we would reach the destination by some more efficient means! Not just walking almost all day for five days straight! Don't _your_ feet feel any pain from walking this much, let alone _barefoot_?"

"To be perfectly honest, only slightly. Unlike you, who seems to have mastered every nuance of teleportation, I have not. I can teleport a modest distance, but it takes time for my energy to regenerate. The energy from the tree is slowly leaving my person, meaning future teleportation will be MORE taxing, not less. You are by far the most impatient, pompous being I have ever seen. Not to mention your very short temper. There is no other way to travel to Eldin province." Gorgonis says to the annoyed sword spirit.

"Do you like walking this much?" Ghirahim says

"Actually, yes. It's very relaxing not having to rush continuously. We are on uncharted lands between Eldin and Faron. Not even the hero can find us here, so we can take our time." Gorgonis says

"By the way, I am still very curious as to what you are, as I don't recall ever seeing any species like yours." Ghirahim asks.

"You've helped me enough, so I feel like telling you."

After all that has happened, Link is very much unsure of what to do next.

"Why would Ghirahim join up with someone he doesn't know? Exactly what is the being that was resurrected? What was he going to do next? And where the hell did he go?" Link was mentally asking himself

Then Zelda pokes Link on the forehead with a stick. Meanwhile, Groose was equally deep in thought.

Zelda jokes to herself in her mind, "Groose just never stops surprising me. First he follows Link, then he helps Link, then he saves me, and now he's _actually thinking deeply_."

Groose hasn't said much since he saw that being resurrect and defeat Link twice in a row without much of a scratch. After Link had defeated the _Demon King,_ Groose began to think Link was capable of pretty much wiping the floor with anything that crossed him wrong, as did Zelda.

Groose then speaks up, "Link, Zelda, do you two have any idea where this mystery person was headed?"

Zelda breaks in as Link was about to speak, "Well Link was busy being doubled over in disbelief about the great tree falling, and rightfully so, I saw a large column of water erupt north of where we were, after which we all investigated and found Faron."

"And the only major area north of here is the Eldin province." Link finishes Zelda's thought. "When I traveled there several times, no valuable objects of any sort were ever mentioned or even written about. The Mogmas didn't exactly show me any of their actual dwellings, except for a communal area full of tunnels. I was admittedly very rushed on several occasions, and I never really got much of a chance to talk to the Fire Dragon Eldin."

Zelda then interrupts Link's train of thought again by waving her hand in front of his face. "What about our local flying encyclopedia, Levias? He would definitely know of any valuable treasures or artifacts in Eldin or even what species the being we resurrected is, because he obviously is not human."

Ghirahim's head was spinning at what he just heard.

"So, your species once controlled Lanayru, but the goddesses turned on your kind because they disapproved of your actions? Very interesting indeed."

Gorgonis now asks, "So, now that you understand my motives, will you help? Like I said before, I would treat you like an intelligent being and not an object. Even so, it is your choice."

"As long as I am able to acquire some of that power you seek to fully awaken your true powers, I'll follow." Ghirahim says

Ghirahim begins to bow formally, but Gorgonis stops him, "You're not my servant, so that's not necessary. You're my accomplice."

The two have finally arrived at the foothills of Eldin Province. Gorgonis thinks to himself, "It won't be very long now. Will you still be nipping at my heels, Link? If that's the case, that would just be all too perfect."

Link, Groose, and Zelda all fly into the ominous, ever-present thunderhead near Skyloft. All had wondered why it was there every day, since don't clouds come and go?

Levias, the sky spirit, was by far the oldest of all four dragons, if he actually counted as a true dragon. Link saved him from a _nasty_ parasite that was possessing him and making him go berserk. Thankfully, the possessed spirit was confined to this thunderhead and couldn't attack Skyloft in its blind rampage. Link managed to slay the parasite by an all-too-familiar method: hit the giant f*cking eyeball. Now Levias simply roamed the truly vast expanses of sky inside the cloud with just about nothing to do.

Then everyone heard a very light snore. The spirit was sleeping yet somehow still flying just normally. Very strange indeed. Link, Groose, and Zelda woke Levias by landing on his rather flat...well...billboard of a forehead.

A very deep yawn is heard by anything semi-intelligent inside the cloud.

"Link! Its been awhile since you last visited me. Did you bring me any of that delicious pumpkin soup?" Levias says

Groose and Zelda didn't quite believe what they were hearing.

"He REALLY likes the Lumpy Pumpkin's soup. Don't you remember anything about an annual offering of it to Levias?" Link says to his confused friends, then says to Levias, "Unfortunately no. We came to ask you about many things that have thoroughly confused us over these past weeks."

Link then pulls out a piece of the crystalline chains that bound the Water Dragon.

"Lanayru amethyst? I haven't seen any specimen of that in eight millennia. A race called the Vailcon discovered it, but then they just vanished along with the robots. From what I recall, they weren't doing much of anything wrong." Levias says

"Vailcon? One of them resurrected somehow recently, then I thought he was evil from the way he looked and he beat me surprisingly easily twice in a row, even stealing and using the Master Sword against me in our second skirmish. I believe the thing is headed to Eldin next, but why would he go there?" Link asks Levias

"Was he after some sort of power?" Levias asks Link in a somewhat grave voice

"Maybe, but he never told me a word of his intentions." Link responds

"The only legendary artifact capable of rivalling the Triforce was broken in two and hidden there. Ever heard of the Dark Mirror?" Levias says and asks

Zelda speaks up, "The Dark Mirror can absorb all light and emit darkness in its place. I knew about it long ago, but my memory of it is admittedly clouded. Doesn't Eldin personally guard part of it?"

"Correct, Hylia." a familiar voice says behind them

Ghirahim laughs almost maniacally. "So, you've figured Gorgonis out, but what exactly do you intend to do? Already he beat Link without even trying much twice in a row. You know, they say third time's a charm!" Ghirahim says before teleporting away.

" _Did he come up here just to taunt us_? Can't we give that albino bastard exactly what he deserves for everything he put us through? We killed Demise and now he's working with this Vailcon thing! He must have a vendetta against you or something." Groose says to Link

"I kinda figured that already, since I actually fought and beat him three times in a row." Link casually replies, "And I'm already used to all his games. He probably has a trap waiting for me to fall into. However, I'll have to end up springing it, because Eldin is in danger."

And with that, all three people leap off Levias and call back their Loftwings. They quickly exit the thunderhead and head for the everlasting red beam of light in the sky that marks Eldin province.


	8. Chapter 8: Of Spirits and Dragons

Chapter 8: Of Spirits and Dragons

All people involved in the current turn of events were flying for the beam of light marking Eldin province.

Link then stops them both, "Because you two cannot even fight, don't follow me. I don't want them to capture you and then use you two as lures for me. I'll head there alone and settle this, and this time I won't be going easy on Gorgonis, now that I know what he's capable of."

Begrudgingly, Groose and Zelda turn away. Link skydives alone into the all-too-familiar rugged and half-molten plains around Death Mountain. Without Fi, he can only skydive to the base of the red beam, not any of the bird statues that he prayed to.

Link sees that no hell is breaking loose quite yet. Either they have yet to arrive, or they are waiting patiently for him. Link hoped it wasn't the latter.

The Mogmas were pretty much completely unaware of current events, save for seeing the violet beam in the sky. Link overheard enough of one conversation to deduce that much.

Link slowly and steadily scaled the mountain, heading for the area where he entered the Silent Realm here. As he approached, he saw nothing, except a faint ripple in the air above the entrance. Link extended his hand and was met with a very potent magical barrier, one that happened to be invisible until he touched it. Inside it sat Gorgonis, obviously meditating, with his ebon sword stuck in the ground. Then Link saw something he thought he would never see again in his lifetime: Death Mountain was erupting again.

Ghirahim was battling the dragon one-on-one. Every demon he summoned to distract the monster didn't work and ended up burnt. This dragon looked the same as Faron, but was surprisingly cool-headed for a fire dragon. It was intently focused on Ghirahim, lashing out with white-hot claws and a lava-soaked tail.

Eldin then belched a massive fireball at the demon lord, who had no choice but to teleport. Ghirahim was slowly learning how to control his own explosive temper, since Gorgonis was pretty frank to him by saying his anger and arrogance did him in before.

Ghirahim's signature floating knives literally melted before hitting their target. His sword didn't, but that is only because it is more of a part of him. He backflips out of the way of more claw attacks, slowly being forced out of the mountain crater. The dragon follows incessantly.

Ghirahim lands on the ground and hardens his skin as he turns into his true form. He draws a hardened broadsword and slashes the dragon's tail tip.

The dragon easily breaks the large sword, but Ghirahim repairs it, making it harder each time. Because he is now heavier, the dragon launches another gigantic fireball at the demon lord. Ghirahim cannot dodge and blocks with his giant sword. It is completely incinerated and he is blown backwards, still cursing himself for not being able to beat another dragon like he did before.

As Ghirahim leads the dragon out of the volcanic crater by accident as he slowly backs off, he gets quite a devious idea.

Their fight soon extends down the mountain slope, and Ghirahim finally lands a direct hit on Eldin's face with his giant broadsword. The demon lord takes this moment to summon many of the lava-dwelling toadlike creatures that spit cursed poison at unwary travelers. They all dive and converge on the vacant crater.

The dragon recovers from being momentarily stunned and continues chasing the demon lord, determined to pay him back for defiling the sanctuary and trying to steal the shard of the Dark Mirror Hylia entrusted him with guarding long ago. Yet, despite his intense focus on the enemy in front of him, he failed to sense the monsters Ghirahim summoned around the mountain. One of them swallowed the mirror piece and was now about to appear in the open.

The toad-thing blows up its face, filling it with air, lava, and who knows what else. Then it forcibly ejects the mirror piece from its stomach, landing it a few feet in front of Gorgonis. The dragon, obviously surprised at such a bold move, begins to fly towards the mirror piece to retrieve it. Then, Ghirahim teleports in front of him and creates a large gash in the dragon's flank, causing him to both fall and shrink like the Water Dragon did.

Link checks to see if the dragon is alright, and he says, "I'll be fine, I've been through much worse than this in my long, long life."

Gorgonis then opens his eyes, and the other mirror piece materializes in front of him. It gradually appears from the Eldin Silent Realm gate until it is complete. The two shards float around Gorgonis and circle around him as he stands.

Link climbs up to the location where the Eldin Silent Realm gate is, and he sees Gorgonis waiting patiently for him.

"I have no quarrel with you hero, yet you insist on trying to prevent me from accomplishing my goals. Why do you do this?" Gorgonis asks

"Because you refuse to come clean about your goals with the mirror." Link responds

"My body is incomplete as it is now. I can exist, but I simply lack the means to achieve my goals as I am now. With this, I will acquire half of the energy I need to accomplish my ambitions." Gorgonis says

"And those goals are what exactly?" Link asks

"The goals I have are far too complex for you to understand. It would quite literally take a whole week to explain it all. If you knew all the details, you would not challenge me so blindly." Gorgonis responds

"Blindly?" Links asks, "I can see just fine."

"I never expected the hero chosen by Hylia to be _this_ thick. You try to kill me because you assume me to be evil. Yet, I am not entirely good or evil and you refuse to accept that subconsciously. Did you come here just to fight me again? Our engagements are enjoyable on my end, but only to a certain point. I grow very tired of you incessantly bothering me." Gorgonis says

Link tries to attack, but hits a barrier the Master Sword cannot penetrate. The two mirror pieces hover in front of Gorgonis and combine into one again. The Dark Mirror is reborn.


	9. Chapter 9: Assimilation

Chapter 9: Assimilation

The Dark Mirror begins to radiate a pitch-black aura that makes the air very cold. Even the hair on the back of Link's neck is standing on end, something he almost never feels. The mirror rests upright on the ground as the unnaturally cold air causes the lava nearby to freeze into solid rock.

"The Dark Mirror is capable of absorbing light and re-radiating that light as darkness. However, there is one exception that gradually saps the potential of this artifact."

The aura had caused the sky to darken for miles around as the mirror absorbs the bright sunlight and generates darkness. It even causes day to shift into night, and the moon rises on the horizon, piercing the veil of shadow. Many stars in the sky also do the same.

"This mirror is capable of absorbing moonlight and generating darkness in its place, as it is reflected sunlight. However, while it can absorb starlight, it cannot convert it to shadow. The slow buildup of starlight inside the mirror gradually seals away its power if it is left out in the open." Gorgonis says

Link then watches as the barrier disappears, allowing him to get closer to his adversary. Yet, his curiosity begins to take over and he watches as Gorgonis plunges his hand into the mirror, its surface appearing solid but behaving like liquid. He grabs something inside and extracts it. A brilliant light illuminates the whole region as Gorgonis holds up a sword.

"Centuries of absorbed starlight are now concentrated enough to be extracted. The mirror's true potential is now restored, and now, I possess the Nova Rapier, a blade of legend that has long been forgotten by your people." Gorgonis says as some of the shadows solidify into an ornate black scabbard to control its energy.

The mirror's true power now erupts from its fluid surface, forcing Link backward as it rejects the presence of the benevolent Master Sword. Now with its impurities removed, the sky somehow becomes an even deeper shade of black that blots out even the moon and stars. Gorgonis illuminates the area with a violet glow from his person. The mirror seems to resonate with this and glows the same color.

Gorgonis places his hand on the mirror's surface, and the mirror begins to dissolve into a fine black mist. Gorgonis then proceeds to absorb the mist. He now is surrounded by the mirror's aura, an aura that obscures him from Link's view.

With the mirror no longer physically present in Eldin, the skies begin to slowly clear. Gorgonis emerges a changed being. Instead of being cloaked in dark robes, now he is coated in armor waist up. Part of his previous attire remains as a tunic of sorts on the rest of his body. Armor also covers the front of his legs. But the most striking change is that now Gorgonis has four arms. He holds up one with the backside of his hand facing Link. A dark ring appears and begins to glow with a black light. Gorgonis has absorbed the dark mirror, and now he alone controls its truly immense power.

The two beings in this area draw their weapons, Link the Master Sword and Gorgonis his two blades. As the two combatants glare at each other, Link is startled by another unsettling change in his adversary. Gorgonis now has not two, but four piercing red eyes.

A column of black light envelops the area the two combatants are in, preventing anyone from seeing what goes on inside.

Gorgonis grows two amethyst daggers in his remaining arms and runs towards Link. Link knocks away the dagger strikes and the Nova Rapier, but Gorgonis's sword from their previous encounter in Faron Woods phases right through the Master Sword and slices through the light chain mail Link wore under his tunic.

"The Dark Mirror has awakened the true power of my original weapon, the Void Katana. It now can phase through most defenses and strike the owner of those defenses anyway. Normally, the Master Sword would be able to block it, yet its wielder is so clouded that its characteristic glow is barely visible. A blade is not just an object, but an extension of its wielder." Gorgonis says with a grin.

The power of the Dark Mirror was beginning to mentally mess with Link. He begins to question his resolve, "What if everything he says is true? Have I become no better than Demise, only the exact opposite in terms of goals?"

"I can see the conflicting thoughts on your face. Are you finally beginning to understand exactly what I have been telling you during all our encounters? You are anything but a hero at this point. You see me as a threat to the land when my goals are much more complex than that. I want to restore part of the land, not destroy it! And not just any part, but my homeland and all its inhabitants! And you failed to even consider that some of my goals were actually what you would call benevolent! THAT is why you have fallen from your status as a hero!" Gorgonis yells at Link

Those very words cause Link to mentally wake up. "You may want to restore your homeland, but it must have been destroyed for a just cause. No being should control the Dark Mirror. It pollutes the purity of the land and only encourages bands of remaining monsters to organize their efforts and ransack the provinces without end. That mirror must be destroyed, plain and simple. It was shattered because no hero existed to wield the Master Sword to actually destroy it. Now I am here, and you will fall with the mirror."

The two beings clash, and the Master Sword glows with renewed vigor, blocking the Void Katana from slicing Link in two. Link then kicks Gorgonis in what is presumably his stomach, stunning him briefly so Link can then shatter one of the amethyst daggers Gorgonis was parrying with.

Gorgonis stabs his Nova Rapier into the Hylian Shield, and to Link's astonishment the blade pierces right through. The tip punctures his forearm, and Link feels like he is being burned inside out.

Link staggers backwards and the glowing starlight sword is withdrawn from the Hylian shield. The damn thing melted a hole in the shield and left a cauterized stab wound on his arm. Link then shield bashes Gorgonis in the face, knocking him backward and allowing Link to slice one arm clean off, the one holding the Nova Rapier.

Link's normally calm and collected adversary cries out in pain for a moment before glaring at Link with pure malice in his eyes. The mirror was affecting him too. Link swings the Master Sword in a vertical slice, only to have it be parried by Gorgonis's remaining dagger. Then Link is taken aback as the dagger grows around the Master Sword, sticking it there so Link cannot use it any longer. Gorgonis drops the fused weapons, kicks Link in the stomach, and knocks away his shield. He sheathes his sword and grabs Link, holding his throat in a truly iron grip.

"You are just a spoiled brat! You know little of true pain, pain far worse than a simple flesh wound. How would you feel if every other human alive was killed all at once, and your homeland was altered to the point that it is uninhabitable? My whole race is gone, and I want to bring them back! YOU KEEP GETTING IN MY WAY!" Gorgonis yells at Link, holding Link's throat slightly tighter, causing Link to pass out from lack of blood flow to his brain.

Gorgonis drops Link, but sensed another presence inside the black shroud around the combat zone. It was Ghirahim.

Gorgonis glares at Ghirahim, only to have the living weapon say, "That mirror has changed you. How do you intend to use it if you can barely control it? In order to accomplish the goals you explained to me, you need to chill. You treat me like an ally instead of an object, and I treat you as an ally and not a new master."

"It has expanded my senses, and I feel a barrier around the only remaining object I must acquire. This mirror has unbalanced my psyche, and while it is powerful, it is not enough to restore Lanayru. I must obtain the thing your master never could. A barrier is around it, however, so neither you or me can get in and obtain it." Gorgonis responds to Ghirahim, calming down slightly.

Ghirahim is surprised, "The Triforce? I've given up on even trying to obtain it. I encountered the barrier myself as I wandered around the land aimlessly. It is the sort of barrier that pushes away intruders more forcefully as they get closer to it, so that they cannot even touch it. It is unbreachable, so you'll need a substitute."

Gorgonis glares at Ghirahim again, "Unfortunately, I must have the Triforce in order to revive my people. And I see one possible way in. Could you transform into your sword form perhaps? Unlike Demise, I'm asking, not forcing you."

Ghirahim transforms, and Gorgonis extracts the all-too-familiar dark blade from his body. His physical form then dissolves and is absorbed by the blade, except Gorgonis allows the living weapon to retain his consciousness and still be able to communicate, much like Fi once did.


	10. Chapter 10: A Very Clever Trick

Chapter 10: A Very Clever Trick

Both Groose and Zelda saw the obsidian beam in the sky, spearing through the less stable cloud barrier. They both immediately knew something was wrong, even if they couldn't be exactly sure as to what was wrong. Zelda was thinking as fast as she was flying on her blue Loftwing, hoping that beam wasn't what she thought it was. Groose was cursing himself for not insisting he follow Link down to Eldin province. Either way, both of them were now en route, heading straight for the obsidian beam of darkness that was now visible everywhere in Skyloft.

As they approached it, the air dramatically became much colder, to the point where Zelda could see her breath in front of her. As she and Groose dived into the nearby red beam of light marking Eldin province, Groose, quite literally, was getting a cold shoulder from a slow buildup of frost. They landed using sailcloths similar to the one Zelda originally made for Link as a gift. Initially, the air was warm, characteristic of the volcano nearby that was steadily erupting. As they descended lower, the air once again became much colder, obviously from the dark aura in the very atmosphere.

The two people saw the aura up ahead and it began to shrink into nothing. Where it once was, Link was on the ground, unconscious. Gorgonis was also unconscious, and his body dissolved into nothing as well, being absorbed by the ground around him. Ghirahim was in his sword form, firmly stuck in the earth.

Zelda started shaking Link to make sure he was alive, hearing a groan from him in response. He groggily got to his feet and then stumbled, falling back down again.

"I…. finally…. stopped him." Link says to Zelda and Groose.

"Now all you need to do is rest. You're literally covered in blood!" Zelda half-yells at him, "And most of it is yours!"

Link finally managed to stand after resting on the ground for half an hour. "It appears Gorgonis left behind all his weapons." Link says, noticing the Nova Rapier and the Void Katana both lying on the ground.

"Who cares about those?" Groose says, "Its not like they can walk away or anything, and I'm not sure that Mogmas can even use such weapons. Just toss them in the lava and be done with them."

"But Mogmas aren't the only ones moving through these parts. Occasionally you see Gorons searching the area for things to study, and one of them could stumble across them and activate them. And Gorons can walk through lava unscathed." Link then responds, causing Groose to raise an eyebrow

"Just what sort of things did you see on your massive adventure?" Groose asks upon hearing that Gorons can swim in lava.

"Mogmas hate lava, hence they live underneath it, whereas Gorons love it. I met one in the Faron Woods who mentioned something about wanting to take a lava bath. I think even you have seen him." Link responds. "So, instead of waiting for something bad to happen when a Goron stumbles upon these powerful objects, I'll confiscate them and make sure nobody finds them. Much like all of our travels down here, only you two will know. Can I trust you with that knowledge?"

"Y..yeah." Groose says, before remarking, "What about that one?"

"Oh, Ghirahim?" Link answers, "When I fought Demise and he was defeated, Ghirahim was unable to turn into his normal form without full cooperation from his wielder. As long as I keep his weapon form on my person, he'll never pose a threat to anyone again."

Link takes all three unique weapons, strapping them to his back like he already did with the Master Sword before. He then puts his Hylian Shield on his back overtop of all four weapons.

Then Link says something unusual, "I'll head back to Skyloft later."

Zelda exclaims, "But those wounds…!"

"Aren't all that bad. None of them are deep, and why would I be carrying a red potion ++ if I'm never going to use it?" he responds jokingly to his friend

"Okay, if you're serious about staying, we won't stop you." Groose tells Link before both Groose and Zelda head back towards their descent point, where the nearest statue will allow them both to return to Skyloft.

Link sees them both off, waving to them as they both ascend into the air. Zelda catches a glimpse of Link's eyes before he becomes too distant, and notices something off about the color. Instead of being their normal bright blue, they were a hazy indigo.


	11. Chapter 11: Not Everyone Can Be Fooled

Chapter 11: Not everyone can be fooled so easily

After waiting a while, Link also ascended to the sky, calling his Loftwing. He flew towards the emerald beam of light marking Faron province, passing through some of the ring-shaped stones to increase speed along the way. As he neared the beam of light to jump off, he looked into the eyes of the Loftwing. The bird then started reacting violently and threw him off, as if this wasn't the Link he remembered. Link mumbled something to himself and skydived down into the beam of light, landing in the clearing behind the Sealed Temple.

"Oh, you're back!" an undoubtedly surprised voice says to Link

"Hello there. I'm in a bit of a hurry, so I don't have much time to talk now. How goes your various research?" Link responds to the Goron

"I haven't been able to conduct any more research because all the walls I've been studying have vanished. It's like they are no longer needed. The talking statues are still here, however, so I'll just re-focus my research on them instead." the Goron answers, sounding gloomy and then hopeful

"Well, good luck on wherever your research takes you!" Link says as he turns to walk away.

"Same with any other adventures you are on!" the Goron says as he heads his way.

Then Link mumbles something under his breath again, "What a fool."

Link walks calmly over to the side entrance of the Sealed Temple. He slowly pushes open the doors, stirring up the dust that had resettled after the incident with the sword. He thought about returning the blade to its pedestal, but decided against it. He knew he would need it again soon.

"You there!" a voice calls out to him

The legendary gate of time opens once again, and out of it steps the Goddess's servant, Impa.

"You don't head through this gate very often because you aren't part of this time. You came once to save Zelda, but why again? Is something the matter?" Link asks the woman

"I sensed multiple evil vibes in the air, percolating through the gate itself. I knew something was off here, and I've been checking as to what. So far, nothing is threatening the gate, but -"

Impa stops mid-sentence upon looking into Link's eyes. She notices the color is off, and she also sees Zelda and Groose peeking through the doorway that Link entered the temple through. Zelda, upon seeing Impa again for the first time in a month, runs up to her, ready to tackle-hug her.

Impa holds out her hand, telling her to stop. She gestures towards Link, saying, "That is not Link over there, yet it is him."

"So only you could tell by glancing in my eyes?" Link says with a grin, "I'm honestly quite surprised Hylia didn't notice. Her power has undoubtedly dimmed over the centuries, hasn't it?"

"Wait….Impa? What is going on, and what do you mean? I saw Link unconscious at Eldin province, as well as his adversary's body dissolving away into thin air!" Zelda says with grave concern

"My, my, you don't even recognize magic when it's right in front of your face, do you, Hylia!" Link says with a half-grin.

"Don't tell me…." Groose slowly says with even more concern in his voice

"Yes, Zelda, Link is right there, but his adversary has possessed him." Impa responds to them both

"You fake-faced cheating bastard!" Groose yells at Link, "What have you done with the Link we know!"

"He's still here." Link says as he gestures to his heart. "To be honest, I was quite surprised by how easy it was to take control of him. Only a faint residual aura remains in the eyes of his body, but the aura is faint enough to not matter now." Gorgonis says, letting his voice show fully where Link's was a moment ago

"Why have you done this?" Zelda says with a tear in one eye

"He found me and challenged me upon seeing me with this." Gorgonis says as he holds up Link's right hand, with a glowing dark ring on the back of the hand.

"T-the Dark Mirror?" Impa stammers

"Does it scare you? The power I now hold? You cannot harm me because you would be harming your friend, Link. However, I can still unleash the full power of the Dark Mirror if you try to get in my way. Unless you want to kill your friend, there is no way you can stop me." Gorgonis says, letting a dark aura show. "Lucky enough for you, I'm not going to hold onto him much longer. The only thing that will prolong it would be one of you deciding to fight me."

Impa steps forward, energy charging on each arm. "I know why you are here, of all places. You want to get around that barrier over the Triforce. I could tell when you mentioned that a faint residual aura in your eyes wouldn't matter. Even if it means hurting Link, I won't let you get your hands on the Triforce."

"Well then, it seems the goddess's servant knows little of Vailcon magic. This is a particularly strong version of possession. Only killing the body I am in or having me willingly relinquish control will release it. I was just about to release it myself, but you have to get in my way. I'll teach you a lesson in not meddling in matters that REALLY don't concern you." Gorgonis says as he draws the Master Sword and Ghirahim's Sword form.

"H-how can you wield that?" Zelda stammers

"Ah, such a foolish goddess. First of all, I am possessing its rightful wielder. Second, you could consider me _a hero to my people_. That sword was made for heroes, after all." Gorgonis says

Impa charges forward, shaping the energy on her arms into twin daggers. She then proceeds to teleport behind her adversary, only to have him unleash two energy waves from his two blades at her. Impa backflips over both of them and delivers a powerful kick to the arms of Link's body. Gorgonis stumbles backward, and Impa sees another chance, only to misjudge the situation and have Gorgonis slice her ankles.

As Gorgonis spins around after this attack, Impa slams the hilt of one dagger into Link's back. Gorgonis thinks to himself, "So we're both trying to do the same thing, eh?"

This strange "dance" continues, until each combatant has many small cuts and bruises. The worst injury is Impa suffering a cracked rib.

"Because you possess the Dark Mirror, I thought you would be a much more difficult opponent." Impa says tauntingly

"Thing is, I have been going easy on you, though it is because I specifically don't want to sew any more grudges or disputes by killing you. I'm not that sort of being." Gorgonis says, "But since neither of us is really getting anywhere, I am not going to waste time on this any more."

Gorgonis holds up Demise's sword, and it turns back into Ghirahim.

"You are much better at toying with your opponents than I am, so I shall leave Impa to you." Gorgonis tells the sword spirit

Gorgonis throws open the doors, dims the power of the mirror to its absolute minimum, and manages to get through the first barrier with little resistance. A second one surrounds the Goddess Statue itself, and the final one surrounds the Triforce near the top.

Gorgonis searches through the various items Link has in his possession, eyeing the Clawshots. He takes one and begins to grow some amethyst on it, making the claw tips on it strong enough to punch through solid rock. He fires it at the statue, propelling himself through the second barrier and landing on top of the skydiving platform where the Triforce sits. The enhanced claws dull upon being removed from the rock.

The final barrier is roughly spherical, and it doesn't actually prevent entry like the other two do. This is the aura related to the Sheikah legend, the one about how the Triforce will rupture into three sections if the heart of its potential wielder is unbalanced. Gorgonis knows this by putting one hand next to the barrier.

Gorgonis undoes the possession magic on top of the statue. Link is unconscious, as he was kept that way during the entire duration of the possession magic. Gorgonis's true form materializes, and as he stands there, Impa and Ghirahim both rush outside, fully intent on killing each other.

Gorgonis extends the same arm marked with the Dark Mirror and says, "I desire the power to revitalize my homeland, the wisdom on how to revive it, and the courage to see it through!"


	12. Chapter 12: Complete Awakening

Chapter 12: Complete Awakening

Both Ghirahim and Impa stop dead in their tracks, looking at Gorgonis as he reaches for the Triforce. Everything is enveloped in a brilliant golden light, a light that extends upward in a great pillar of pure gold. All the dragons sense it, as does Levias. The people of Skyloft see this light obscure the familiar green light marking the forest below. The only one who has an idea of what is happening is none other than Zelda's father, the Headmaster of the Academy.

The light persists for about ten minutes before it begins to fade. As it fades, the Triforce is no longer hovering on the Goddess Statue. Gorgonis begins to be surrounded by an obsidian-colored aura that overtakes the remaining golden light. This narrow pillar of shadows extends upward into the sky just as the gold beam vanishes. Ghirahim is curious as to what is happening, while Zelda, Groose, and even Impa are afraid.

The aura shrinks down to the ground, and Gorgonis can be seen once more. He is now completely cloaked in dark armor, and his head now has five eyes; two pairs in the usual location of eyes on a person plus the final one, tilted vertically, where his forehead would be. That is, if Gorgonis was human, which everyone by now knew he wasn't. His helmet has three rows of upward-curved spikes, four each. One row is on either side of his head while the last is on the back of his head. The rest of his armor is fairly straightforward, complete with gauntlets, full leg armor, and a flowing cape. What is most startling, besides his eyes, is the fact that he now has a total of six arms.

"I finally have what I've been searching for." he says.

He then picks up Link, jumps down from the altar on the statue, and lays him on the ground, leaving the Master Sword next to him.

"I never had any sort of animosity towards him in the first place. He thought I was evil by his definitions when I am in fact not. He chose to fight me on three separate occasions, yet I never started any of them. I have no sort of quarrel with you either, Impa, or even Hylia. Once Link wakes up, tell him that if he wants to hear my true objectives and reasons for obtaining the Triforce, tell him to come to Lanayru province, on top of the derelict mining facility." Gorgonis says and turns to leave.

Then Impa asks, "Would it bother you if anyone else came to hear those reasons?"

Just before Gorgonis teleports away, having gotten better at it recently, "I don't mind you or Hylia. That red-haired fool would never understand."

Gorgonis and Ghirahim then teleport away, leaving many questions to be answered.

"Why does he think I'm stupid!" Groose yells up at the sky

"Y-you haven't exactly been through all the experiences down here that we have, Groose." Zelda says, trying not to piss him off more.

"I helped keep that thing that was sealed here at bay, twice even! Then Link caused the statue to descend from Skyloft and crush it flat! I am not stupid!" Groose continues to yell

"Can...you...ever...quiet...down..?" Link says

Everyone stops what they were doing to check on Link.

"W-why are you all crowding around me? And Impa, why aren't you in the past?" Link asks all of them, concerned as to why they are doing this

"What do you remember?" Zelda asks Link

"I was fighting Gorgonis in Eldin province, surrounded by a pitch-black barrier. He was yelling at me, something I never heard him do. He was asking all sorts of deep questions about me that began to make me question my own resolve. We kept fighting for at least an hour, until I sliced one of his arms off and he got more livid. Then he grabbed my neck and proceeded to choke me until I was unconscious. And obviously, he did not kill me, though I was not very sure at the time if he would kill me or not." Link explains

"Gorgonis casted powerful magic on you, and he possessed your unconscious body, using more magic to keep you that way. He kept the guise up until I felt something undoubtedly off through the Gate of Time in the past. I came through and saw through the ruse. I did fight him while he used you, but he ended up growing bored and letting Ghirahim occupy me. He then climbed up the Goddess Statue and obtained the Triforce, then leaving you and the Master Sword here before leaving." Impa explains to Link

Link is rightfully stunned by what he heard from Impa, but could tell she wasn't lying. His enemy had used him to obtain the possibly most powerful object in the entire world, and he was powerless to interfere. Link then asks, "Did he say anything of importance, as to what his goals were?"

Zelda chimes in, "He said something very unsettling before claiming the Triforce. He said, " _I desire the power to revitalize my homeland, the wisdom on how to revive it, and the courage to see it through!_ " After that happened, he said that if you want to learn his true goals, you have to meet him on top of Lanayru Mining Facility."

Link is still stunned by what Impa says, but is also puzzled. "Why the mining facility, of all possible places?" he thought to himself.

Link then checked his items to make sure he had them all, and he did, except for one thing. The entire bottle of red potion ++ he bought and paid for in Skyloft was gone. He was left with the empty bottle.

Groose then speaks, "I guess he drank it while he was possessing you. Was your fight that long and hard?"

Link just nods, tired from the aftereffects of the magic. He proceeded to fall asleep, right there in the grass as his friends watched.

Roughly a day passed before Link felt better enough to go meet Gorgonis at the mining facility. Impa chose not to join them. When asked why, she responded, "I've been out of my time long enough."

Zelda and Groose, however, wanted to join Link as he went to the desert. At first, Link asked them not to go, but then after both of them reminded him that he ended up possessed after going alone before, he finally agreed, despite the multitude of dangers.

All three of them found the nearest bird statue and used it to propel them back to Skyloft. They landed, stocked up on many supplies, and left. If they had tried to explain it all to their parents, they would freak out and not understand any of it. Link, Zelda, and Groose leaped off one of Skyloft's many diving platforms and called their Loftwings. Link's initially did not catch him, until it looked in Link's eyes first, making sure it was Link that it was catching.

After flying to the yellow beam of light and leaping off, the three adventurous teenagers descended into the wasteland that is Lanayru desert. They all unfurled their sailcloths and landed on a large pillar. This was the same pillar Link landed on when he first came here. The sturdy ladder had endured all this time, Link noted as he climbed down.

Zelda pointed out a small pile of rubble nearby and said, "Doesn't that resemble Gondo's robot?"

Link just sighed and replied, "It's another of the same type. We cannot dwell on that, however."

And with that, the three young adventurers headed into the Lanayru mines. They were dusty, dirty, and falling apart due to age. All three of them climbed up an ancient mine cart filled with dirt and entered a modest-size clearing. Link unsheathed his sword and struck the sharply contrasting Timeshift Stone in the center, causing everything nearby to be warped to what it was many thousands of years prior. The robots glanced at the three of them but simply continued with their work, fully unaware that they were all dead. Link, Zelda, and Groose then climbed into a mine cart and rode on through an ornate door.

They kept trekking through the mines until, finally, Link struck one last Timeshift Stone and they entered the Lanayru Desert. Aside from rolling tumbleweeds, which Link had too many of, and rolling electric crab-things, the desert was quiet. The wind blew every now and then, ever so slowly erasing what was left of a dead civilization.

Sure enough, they saw Gorgonis and Ghirahim waiting on top of the mining facility. The giant building loomed overhead, only challenged by the ruins of Lanayru's Temple of Time, where its respective Gate of Time once stood.

All three of them climbed up to the giant mining facility's roof. Gorgonis was waiting there, his back turned to them. Ghirahim appeared behind Link, and startled all three of them by poking Link on his shoulder. He then enveloped all three of them in a diamond-patterned barrier.

"I am only doing this specifically because we _don't_ want a fight. It is meant to restrain you in particular, Link." Ghirahim says

Gorgonis speaks up, "So, you all decided to join Link here? Whatever. I have no problem being truthful with you three, so listen well."

"This desert was once my homeland. My race, the Vailcon, was the first intelligent race in Lanayru province, then a lush grassland with trees scattered across it. It was a beautiful place, with plenty of water and other resources. My people discovered Timeshift Stones and gradually began to use them as power sources for many different devices, creating the robots that you see today as derelict wrecks. We were not exactly a warlike people, but we had the means to defend ourselves should the time arise. The name "Demise" or "Demon King" was an occasional whisper.

We had created a great civilization, and the robots began to develop one of their own, becoming more independent. We let them evolve on their own pace and chose not to interfere as much with their daily lives. As a civilization, we kept mining for more Timeshift Stones, and our numbers expanded somewhat. There were roughly three thousand Vailcon and about as many robots.

In our civilization, we crafted a complex economy, much like the humans eventually did. We wanted to scout the other provinces, curious to see if other races existed that were like our own. All we intended was to contact other provinces and slowly expand economically, taking our time. We did scout the outskirts of Faron and Eldin, witnessing the brutality different sects of humans had towards one another. It was almost unbelievable, so we prepared a small defense force to escort ambassadors sent to contact other races. Hylia knew about our presence, and the Trinity also found us.

The Trinity; Din, Nayru, and Farore, did not look kindly at us building up a small defense force. They thought it was the front tip of a much larger army, waiting to be made to sweep over the other lands and annihilate all who dared to stand against it. They never came down from their nebulous perch to even ask us, unlike Hylia. We told Hylia when she asked us why we were arming ourselves, but the Trinity did not believe her.

They took this potential war into their own hands. They crafted an enormous spell that trapped a dome of hot, stifling air over Lanayru. It drove away the rains that we depended on. We, as a species, drank water sometimes, but primarily used it for machine cooling. When our reserves evaporated, we made the machines more efficient with less waste heat, but it was simply not enough. The inland sea we depended on was rapidly drying up. The robots were falling apart as Timeshift Stones began to run out with the water. Fuel supplies were growing smaller each week. Our very survival as a race was bleak.

Small mining operations continued in places where there were groundwater reserves. I was aiding a few others of my kind in obtaining a few high-quality Timeshift Stones from Lanayru Gorge when I stumbled upon a strangely colored stone. It was a strange sort of Timeshift Stone, one that was resistant to impact. It was also much more energy dense, and it was a sort of living crystal that could grow back upon being mined. We had discovered Amethyst Timeshift Stones.

Immediately, our remaining leaders began to collect remaining water supplies, power up some of the robots, and hollow out a large cave in a mountain south of our drying sea. They planted pieces of Amethyst Timeshift Stones inside the cave, creating a watertight lining inside, complete with large pods that could each fit one Vailcon. We were adept with technology and magic, and we retreated inside this mountain, sealing ourselves up. We entered a sort of suspended animation using magic, but for us to survive, the walls of amethyst had to be perfect, keeping the water in that kept our bodies viable. I personally saw the last pair of robots and told them their final orders, "Seal up this cave tight with the amethyst stones and then cover the amethyst with rock. Melt it in place to make sure it is solid. If you were in here, you would not make it. I'm sorry, but this is farewell. Spend your remaining time alive wisely, Skipper."

They did as asked, and we heard them melt the boulders into place and leave. After that, we sealed ourselves away and went to sleep, waiting for a time when Lanayru would become habitable again. We did not yet know how the climate changed in the first place, but civilization in Lanayru went extinct in roughly a year.

We were asleep for several hundred years, until an earthquake awakened us. Large cracks formed in the crystalline seal, and all the water vapor escaped. We died in about a month, still trapped inside.

Our spirits began to ascend to the skies above as our race passed on. As we rose, however, we encountered a barrier that prevented us from reaching any sort of afterlife. We discovered a similar barrier below ground. We were reduced to wandering, restless spirits, and then we saw the Trinity glaring down at us from the afterlife. We finally knew who caused the great shift in Lanayru's climate. We began to loathe them and drift apart with no place to go. Our spirits gradually began to show signs of expiring at some point in the fairly near future. We devised a means to survive, by "hitchhiking" on the souls of other sentient beings. Human, Demon, Mogma, Goron, Kikwi, it did not matter. They never felt us and we never influenced them. All we did was endure what could be best described as hell.

I ended up being attached to the very soul of the Demon King Demise, and was sealed away with him for millennia. I saw everything he saw, including you, Link. I observed your movements and combat styles, finally something interesting enough to get my mind off of vengeance against the Trinity my race hates to this day! I exerted what little influence I had, making him lie on the ground for half a second longer than he normally would have, allowing you to strike a mortal wound. As he breathed his last, what was left of him as well as my consciousness was sealed in that blade you hold.

After a while, I began to absorb what remaining power was in Demise's spirit, and his residual consciousness began to fight with me. Our fight drove Demise out and caused his spirit to expire while mine could escape to Lanayru and absorb the abundant spiritual energy of the Silent Realm. I set out on a quest of sorts to resurrect my body, obtain the power necessary to revive my people, and bring back my country from the dead. I fought you along the way, using the knowledge I gained observing your fighting styles against Demise to be victorious each time."

Link, Zelda, and Groose were completely speechless. They expected some sort of evil, maniacal plot to destroy the world, but heard something that was actually very saddening. Zelda, slowly regaining her memories of her past life, felt sorry for Gorgonis for the first time. Groose didn't feel all that sorry, but he understood nevertheless. Link, however, was not exactly sad, depressed, or anything else. He honestly did not know what to think of his previous adversary in front of him anymore.

"Now do you all understand me?" Gorgonis says, then glaring at all three of them, "If any of you choose to interfere with me any longer, you will regret doing so."

Gorgonis now makes the mixed glow of the Triforce and Dark Mirror visible on the back of one of his hands. He then says, "Ancient artifacts of the goddesses, merge your energies together. Remove this unjust punishment by the Trinity, and BRING RAIN TO LANAYRU ONCE MORE!"

A double helix beam of golden and obsidian light soars upward, hitting something previously invisible until now. The invisible shield then glows orange as it begins to split apart. Spiraling energy streams emanate from its center, further weakening it, until pieces of it break off and plummet earthward. The barrier dissolves, releasing a golden beam of light as wide as the whole desert into the sky. The built-up rain clouds in the form of the ominous thunderhead near Skyloft begin to move southwest, until most of them blanket the blue skies.

A great downpour ensues, feeding the thirsty ground and recharging long-dry aquifers. The quicksand turns to rivers of mud, but then they get gradually washed away, revealing intact ground. Old paths around the mining facility become visible again, and all the dead vegetation is quickly uprooted.

The downpour lightens somewhat, but does not cease. Yet, something is not right. Little vegetation is showing any signs of regenerating. Gorgonis removes his helmet to taste the rainwater, and he senses something strange in the air.

Three small tunnels open in the stormy gray sky, and three glowing lights are visible. One is red, another is blue, and the last is green. They descend towards the surface slowly and gracefully, touching down and fading, as three figures materialize.

Gorgonis glares at the new arrivals, "So you all have come down from your nebular perch, have you? Do you hate my race that much? Do you, Golden Goddesses of this world!?"


	13. Chapter 13: Great Plans Grind To A Halt

Chapter 13: A great plan grinds to a halt

One of the three Goddesses, the one with bright red hair, says, "Hylia, leave this place, NOW!"

Another goddess, the one with deep blue hair, destroys Ghirahim's barrier around the three adventurers. Link leads all three of them away, towards the nearest bird statue. At first, Link protests, but then Zelda tells him, "Don't argue with a goddess Link. Especially one with a short temper such as Din!"

Din then speaks, "We could see the imminent threat the Vailcon posed to the entire land. We had seen it too many times before with the humans in Faron province, where they would create a self-defense force, then experience a leadership change, and suddenly attack all their neighbors, taking possession of them by force."

Gorgonis is only greatly angered as he hears the reasoning behind the Goddesses' actions, "So you _assumed_ we were no better than the humans? That's why you stole the rain away from Lanayru, to prevent a war you _assumed_ would happen?"

Nayru then responds, "We didn't just do this on a whim. We observed the Vailcon and the humans for many, many years. You two were millennia apart technologically, but only a thousand years apart mentally! We knew what sort of chaos would ensue if you became taken over by some warmonger within your race! So, we wiped you out before any such war could begin."

Farore adds to this statement, "But we did argue for a very long time over whether or not we had to be that severe to you all. In the end, both of my older sisters agreed to remove you from the land."

Gorgonis then glares at Din, yelling, "THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU TREAT THE HUMANS THE SAME WAY?"

Din fires back at Gorgonis, "Your technology would have made the eventual war far more devastating to the landscape than a simple tribe-on-tribe skirmish among people! You had the capacity to turn all of the surface into a barren, lifeless wasteland!"

Gorgonis then calms down somewhat, "I didn't realize it was this simple. Because of their lesser technological status, you three felt sympathy towards the humans. You were playing favorites, something I never expected such a long-lived group of beings to do. Haven't you all been around long enough to get past that? How many other races have you wiped out, on other lands beyond these? How long will you stall the world before you deem the races inhabiting it have evolved past war? Since when is it your role to judge what we do?"

Din draws a large blade and holds it upward. A bright red streak is visible on the horizon, flying overhead until it crashes down on the blade, coating it with a red flame. "You don't know when you really ought to shut up, do you? All your argument is accomplishing is pissing me off."

"Do we really need to go that far, sister?" Farore asks

Nayru says nothing, but draws a similar golden blade, calling forth a bright blue flame from the direction of the sand sea. Farore sighs, creating her own golden sword and calling a green flame.

Gorgonis then says, "I know exactly why you all favor the humans so much. You see yourselves reflected in them! And apparently one of you has quite the temper. I'll fight you if that is what it takes, but unlike with the chosen knight of Hylia, I won't hold back."

Gorgonis reveals the Triforce and the Dark Mirror, both in his possession, initially surprising the Trinity. He draws both the Void Katana and the Nova Rapier, transforming Ghirahim into his true form. He then opens a portal and draws a fourth weapon, a blade that has a bright red hilt and a translucent, curved blade. Its edge is also bright red, while the translucent part looks crystalline in nature.

Nayru stammers, "W-where did you find the Mirror Scimitar?"

Gorgonis grins and says, "My people are the ones who made it in the first place." He then dons his helmet and prepares himself for a massive fight.

Gorgonis teleports down to ground level, landing in front of the steps to the mining facility. Din appears behind him, ready to stab through his crystalline heart. Gorgonis notices this and blocks with his new weapon.

Gorgonis is unable to retaliate as he ducks to avoid a swing from Farore's emerald blade. Nayru then teleports in front of him, slamming Gorgonis with the hilt of her blue blade. Even with his enhanced armor granted by the powers of the Dark Mirror, he doubles over in pain.

Gorgonis then unleashes a shockwave of energy outward, forcing the Trinity to make some distance between them and their foe. He knows he is outnumbered. Yet he also observes curious tendencies among his opponents. Din is aggressive and overconfident. Nayru is more reserved and waits for openings before striking. Farore only attempts to attack when she is certain of an opening, and seems a little inexperienced.

Gorgonis strikes out in Farore's direction with the Void Katana. To Farore's surprise, it phases right through her weapon and hits her, leaving a noticeable wound. Gorgonis presses his advantage and creates several more wounds. A few drops of blood fall to the ground, and tiny patches of grass sprout where they land. Farore's life force is magnificent indeed.

Nayru then impales Gorgonis with her blue sword, causing him to cry out in pain from both the wound and the burns caused by the blue flames. Din then rushes over and quickly takes off one of Gorgonis's arms. The Nova Rapier falls to the ground. The flames on her sword then begin to slowly burn away his arm, leaving the sword on the ground. She slices off four more arms in rapid succession, before her foe can even mentally register what happened.

Gorgonis teleports on top of the mining facility, and the Trinity begins to float in midair, charging up energy. Each of their respective flames grows brighter. They cross their three blades, and a brilliant light begins to shine from where they cross.

Gorgonis draws a jet-black knife from a slot in his armor. The light gets brighter still, beginning to obscure the view of everyone present. The ball of light grows wings and a distinct head, then igniting with all three flames. The blazing phoenix of three flames is launched toward Gorgonis, where it shall incinerate his very soul on impact.

Gorgonis throws the dagger as the light obscures the entire desert.


	14. Chapter 14: A Balanced Playing Field

Chapter 14: A balanced playing field

Gorgonis lies dead on top of the mining facility, his body ablaze with all three sacred flames. They gradually consume him as the light fades from his five eyes. Soon, he is reduced to nothing, not even ashes. Only his swords remain.

Gorgonis's thrown dagger landed in Nayru's shoulder. She winces in pain as she removes it. The weapon left a small but deep wound, and upon removal, it crumbles into dust. Farore's wounds quickly heal over, and she sees the wound on her sister's shoulder. She rushes over, using some of the sacred flame's energy to heal it.

Din is very tired after that attack, "How long will the Vailcon continue to haunt us? They have been dead for centuries, haven't they?"

"We wiped them out because they were too advanced for the time - so far ahead that if their leadership ever changed to one favoring war, the might of all other races alive at the time would be powerless to stop them. Yet it saddens me in particular, since they were the only intelligent race to appear in the province I looked after." Nayru says as a tear comes to her right eye "I remember periodically visiting them to check up on their actions, trying as best as I could to guide them on a peaceful path. They welcomed me with open arms every single time for multiple millennia. A large part of me regrets what we did, and all those old emotions resurfaced upon seeing one of them again."

"Do you regret what we just did, sister?" Din asks.

"Regret is the only emotion that is completely useless to feel, but even knowing that, I do regret what we just did. The most I could do is give the being we murdered a proper burial, for he was one of the race I was entrusted with looking after." She says, picking up Gorgonis's fallen swords.

Then Nayru strapped all four blades to her backside - Ghirahim was not even close to being strong enough to resist a Goddess's influence. He was only able to abduct Zelda due to her mortal form.

"You two do not need to linger here any longer. I'll catch up with you later." Nayru says to her sisters.

"This is odd even for you. You were going to return home with us after dealing with this, weren't you? Has something inside you changed since the encounter?" Din bombards Nayru with multiple questions, somewhat worried by the sudden change in her sister's intentions.

"So, you saw through it, did you?" Nayru spoke as the back of her right hand began to glow with the combined light of the Triforce and the Dark Mirror, her ocean-blue eyes now stained a deep violet.


	15. Chapter 15: Complications

Chapter 15: A Complication in the Countermeasure

The remaining two Golden Goddesses were rendered speechless by the scene before them. Never before had someone been able to possess one of the Trinity.

"It was her own regrets, ancient and recent, that weakened her resolve enough for it to actually work. Otherwise I would have only lingered as a restless spirit attached to her soul for all eternity. I had no other course of action - either I try and exploit the weakest resolve or get incinerated by divine fire." Gorgonis spoke using Nayru's voice.

Before either of the other Goddesses could react, Nayru drew her golden blade, still coated in her sacred flame. Din was quickly losing her remaining fragments of a temper by this point, and Farore was trembling with fear even though her green blazing sword was still drawn. As the Goddess of life itself, she was an extreme pacifist and never warmed up to the idea of fighting seriously, since it would usually mean hurting or killing the beings she was supposed to watch over. Hence she kept putting off learning the arts of swordplay from Nayru, and now is beginning to regret that fact.

Using Nayru's sacred fire, Gorgonis easily knocked Farore's trembling blade aside. He drew the Void Katana and proceeded to inflict multiple deep wounds on the Goddess, amplified by the power of the Mirror.

"Even though you are immortal and thus cannot die, you are not invincible. Wounds made by otherworldly means usually kill their victims outright or leave them permanently maimed. Even as a Goddess, it will take around a thousand years to properly heal those wounds, without the help of your flame." Gorgonis says, this time using his own voice.

With a single additional swing of the Void Katana, Farore's right hand comes clean off, her life force quickly sealing the wound. Gorgonis then grabs Farore's sword, its green fires spiraling around the blade even now. Using his own magic projected through Nayru's body, he summons four floating gauntlets to draw his own four swords.

"You are the effective ringleader, Din. It is time to see which series of goals will prevail - mine to resurrect my people or yours to maintain your warped sense of balance. A one-on-one fight with no 'distractions'." Gorgonis says as he restrains Link in another barrier, who had been watching the whole chain of events unfold, unable to make a sound as he felt true fear for the first time in his life.


	16. Chapter 16: Fate of the Land

Chapter 16: A Single Fight to Decide Fate Itself

Using the memories of Nayru to his advantage, Gorgonis knew what he was walking into by challenging Din, the Goddess of Power, who was possibly the most powerful being in the whole world. With the Triforce and Dark Mirror at his command, he could at least level the playing field this time.

Nayru smirked towards Din and batted one eye, sending her somewhat stronger sister's temper over the edge as she rushed forward. A flurry of blows ensued with neither combatant so much as breaking a sweat.

"Only an insane fool would challenge the Goddess of Power and expect to come out victorious." Din said as her fiery temper became her weapon.

"You have more similarities to people than any other currently living race, including some of their weaknesses. You possess extreme arrogance after eons of being unchallenged as the strongest being in existence. Arrogance is one of the three primary faults humans possess." Gorgonis says to counter his adversary's remark.

"But isn't the ability to make stupid, hasty decisions just as strong of a fault?" Din retorts as her ruby-colored fires coalesce around her free arm before delivering a strong punch to her sister's stomach.

Using the Nova Rapier, Gorgonis counters with a fast swing to Din's right leg, hitting its mark and leaving a decent wound.

Din is not bothered too much by a minor scratch, though the pain does result in her temper flaring even more, fueling her power. Using her fires to amplify her sword swings, each swing left a white-hot trail in its path, several hundred swings per minute directed at her foe.

Using his six blades, Gorgonis was able to block the majority of the sword swings, using Nayru's flames to increase the speed of his blocks and counters instead of Din's raw power approach. The fight was too fast for any mortal being to discern in detail; it resembled two opposing weather systems colliding and destroying each other. Din then delivered an exploding suckerpunch to her adversary, sending the being careening backwards into an ancient storage building. With an overconfident smirk brought to her lips, she prepared another one of these concentrated energy weapons, descending towards the impact point, only to have the Mirror Scimitar meet the blast and blow it back in its caster's face.

Din hurtled backwards as Gorgonis lept from the first impact crater, propelled by an aura of ocean-blue fires. Plummeting downward as a comet of blue fires and all six blades pointed at Din, he struck Din's single sword as she spun it to guard against the assault. One blade got through the firm defense - The Void Katana. It impaled Din in her stomach, causing the Goddess to visibly wince in pain before kicking her adversary off and causing the impalement to be removed.

As each combatant got to their feet, both had multiple bleeding wounds. Nayru's body had a large number of small wounds while Din had a half-dozen deeper ones, including the stab in her stomach. Yet something was off about that most recent wound, being the only one in the whole fight so far from that blade. No matter how much of her power she focused on it, her red fires could not cauterize the wound to stop the bleeding. Some of the wounds on Nayru's body were exhibiting similar issues. The only deciding factor that was ever so slightly breaking the stalemate was Farore's flames, helping to seal up Nayru's wounds while Din's slowly bled.

While she didn't want to focus on it, Din began to cool her temper and realize she was at more of a disadvantage than her pride wanted her to admit. Yes, Goddesses can be wounded seriously, and they can bleed as much as any mortal being would if injured sufficiently. She could feel her stamina ever so slowly dropping as she slowly bled, while she watched her adversary recover.

Even though she couldn't fully stop the bleeding due to the otherworldly nature of the wounds, she was able to redirect most of the blood flow to other areas of her body, causing a 90% reduction in blood loss. It was enough, and the two immortal beings began clashing a storm of blades a second time.

Pain is a distraction, and no being can completely ignore it forever. A few of Din's many sword swings were just a little slower than they should have been, resulting in noticeably more small cuts than Nayru was receiving. Over the course of an intense hour and thousands of sword swings, that imbalance plus a weakened ability to heal 1/6 of those wounds began to add up.

The fighting continued long into the night, and when dawn broke, Gorgonis was just barely victorious. Din had certainly lived up to most of her reputation, but reduced healing ability on some of the wounds plus the resulting blood loss gradually sapped her stamina as the two fought all afternoon yesterday and all throughout the night. She missed one crucial block as the sun broke over the horizon and received a deep stab from the Nova Rapier in her previously wounded right leg, causing her to finally give in to exhaustion and collapse.

Even though it was not his own body, Gorgonis sighed in relief as the fight finally came to an end. He was only maybe a couple hours away from the same fate as Din, attributed to Farore's healing ability.

Farore, who had received multiple deep wounds just after Gorgonis possessed Nayru, was conscious but largely powerless without her sacred flame. Her wounds were now just scars, but they still ached to the point where she could just barely stand and move around.

Nayru's heavily wounded form approached her deeply frightened sister, as their enemy cast a new spell to recreate his original body that was previously incinerated, finally ending the possession of Nayru in the process. With her mind released and the effect of battle-generated adrenaline leaving, the sudden influx of pain from all the wounds caused her to quickly fall just as unconscious from shock as Din was.


	17. Chapter 17: The Great Rejuvenation

Chapter 17: The Great Rejuvenation of Lanayru

Gorgonis sheathed all of his weapons and held all three of the Goddesses' blades. He took them up to the top of the derelict mining facility. Again, due to his greatest wish spoken to the Triforce, the long-restrained thunderstorms destined to water Lanayru province began to approach. Using the Blade of Power, he sent out a ring of expanding red flames that were cool to the touch. As they met the sands of Lanayru, they began stripping away the quicksand and sunbaked earth, renewing the soil to the point where life could again thrive. He stabbed the blade into the earth to maintain the effect as it slowly expanded.

He then held up the Blade of Wisdom to draw the stormclouds on their original path, first dumping their payload on the sand sea. The quicksand initially turned to mud, but the expanding red wave from the Blade of Power met these turbulent waters and forced most of the sand far out to sea, leaving sky-blue seawater in its wake. The rains then passed over the mainland and began to seep underground to refill ancient aquifers. What little desert vegetation was still alive slowly began to be uprooted and swept away into great rivers by the combined forces of Power and Wisdom. As the land cooled down, great mountain ranges long rendered bone-dry became suddenly covered in thick snowfall. Some of it melted and began to re-awaken Lanayru's long-dead river system that helped maintain the land's fertility with periodical flooding.

With the ground now recharged with enough moisture and the weather patterns altered to keep it that way, Gorgonis unleashed a wave of bright green dancing flames, also cool to the touch. In their wake, life began to regrow on the newly restored soil, turning what was once great dusty plains into verdant grasslands peppered with shrubs and trees of varying sizes. Moss began to grow in the shade of such vegetation and the ancient buildings made by the Robots. When the wave of green fire reached the ocean, algae and coral reefs began to grow. Populations of animals native to the region began to reappear and recolonize their particular niches.

Gorgonis then removed some portions of his armor to smell the renewed sea breeze. Small crystalline nodes began growing from his back, detached, and were scattered as a fine dust all over the land to regenerate the Amethyst Timeshift Stones needed to rebuild Lanayru's technology. Using magic, he levitated all the deactivated Robots, re-oiled them using the renewed fields of Ancient Flowers, and gave each new power cells made from the growing Amethyst stones. Finally, he used the renewed Amethyst stones to grow several hundred resurrection chambers in which many more Vailcon began to regrow, the new bodies becoming occupied by the restless souls of Gorgonis's kind who were still clinging to existence by the method he described earlier.

They burst forth as they finished regenerating, very disoriented after roughly eight thousand years of being disembodied spirits, but nevertheless alive. The Robots were re-activated, looking exactly like they did millennia prior except the lightning streams to their limbs were violet instead of blue.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, everyone. Much has changed since all of us were last alive, but repairing and rebuilding the country is our first priority." Gorgonis spoke, getting the attention of all Vailcon. "I'll help lead our renewed nation, but just because I will direct things does not mean I won't get my hands dirty alongside the rest of you."


	18. Chapter 18: Forgiveness of The Past

Chapter 18: Past Mistakes Can Be Forgiven

Din and Nayru awoke in beds made from woven grass. While neither were bleeding any longer, they still were covered in faded scars. Farore had been patiently waiting for them to come to, and it had taken three whole days. As they breathed in and simultaneously coughed, they slowly were helped to their feet by Farore, and the three walked outside of the derelict building their beds were made in.

While key features of the Lanayru Basin were clearly visible, hundreds of Vailcon, including Gorgonis, were hard at work moving fallen rubble, replanting certain varieties of trees, and excavating container after container of sand from the many derelict buildings, most from the mining facility and outlying buildings. Gorgonis was still using the Trinity's Blades to convert much of the sand into fertile earth, while the remaining portion was dusted over the land. When not taking care of this, he was conversing with other members of his species. His helmet was off and he was smiling, something none of the three ever saw him do. He was currently explaining what the immediate goals in the future were: rebuilding the leadership, the internal economy, and the very self-defense militia the Trinity originally acted against.

"So, you two have finally awoken." Gorgonis says as they slowly approach, still visibly tired even after three whole days of rest. "What do you three think of the rebuilt land of Lanayru?" He says, gesturing to the whole Basin around him. "This was my goal all along, and why I fought so tenaciously to achieve it. I...apologize for being forced to possess Nayru, but there was no other way for me to survive. Despite what you three did to my kind in the past, I am willing to put it behind me and forgive you all. Old grudges are settled and no more need to be made. Wiping out whole races based on technological superiority and a mere assumption that they would eventually become warlike is not the answer. The whole issue was compounded misunderstanding on each side. We were never much of a belligerent race and only built the defense forces to safeguard our country from foolish bands of humans and Demise's demon hordes. Will you three forgive my people?"

A very long silence ensued, broken only by chattering birds, wind, and the occasional Vailcon in the distance using an electric blade to hack away encroaching Deku and Quadro Babas. Din was still heavily scarred and was the first to speak, "It was and still is our duty to watch over the lands that we originally made so many eons ago. We were never pleased with the warlike tendencies of the humans and demons, but those skirmishes didn't have the potential to completely raze the surface of the whole planet. Your race never did have any internal conflicts and was surprisingly well-unified, but as we watched your technological prowess increase over the years while humans were mostly stagnant, that technology began to greatly worried us. We may be immortal, but we all admit to making a great mistake back then. It was fuelled largely by fear for the safety of other races and the slow expansion of Lanayru's civilization into the border regions of Eldin and Faron. We were too harsh on you all and can forgive you in particular for your actions, but you need to return our rightful powers to us so we can properly heal and return home."

"And you all are sure that you will not try and exterminate us or anyone else?" Gorgonis asks

"I know we can agree on that." Nayru says as she looks off into the distance, "Maybe it is time we started living in this world, each of us in our respective provinces, so we can guide the races in peaceful manners instead of being remembered as faceless beings high up above."

"My people in particular would gladly welcome you if you chose to live on this plane. I've even received word that the Thunder Dragon is coming back to the gorge where he used to live, now that it is full of life again." Gorgonis says.

Farore then spoke up, "In all honesty, I am glad we are able to set things straight. Our decision that started this mess did weigh heavily on all of us. Din ignored such feelings, I felt the deaths of so many living things and slowly got over it, and Nayru was just perpetually saddened for a very long time afterward. We did sympathize with the humans because we saw our own faults in them, and I think we all realize now that playing favorites will never solve anything."

With that said, Gorgonis and the Trinity came to mutual agreement and understanding. He returned their swords and and shook hands with each. Each glowed as they recieved their respective weapons, healing any and all scars from the events in days prior. Din immediately flew off to Eldin province. Nayru already decided that she would stay, partly out of curiosity and partly to simply stay in the information loop so events like what happened in the past wouldn't repeat themselves. Farore had her own province to go after and also left.


	19. Chapter 19: Another Side of The Deal

Chapter 19: Another Side of The Deal

Just because the land was revitalized and his race revived from the dead did not mean his goals were completely satisfied. Gorgonis remembered his _other_ allies, and a small grin crossed his amethyst face under his helmet.

The reconstruction was progressing rapidly, and Nayru had taken up residence in the Lanayru Gorge region, not too far from where the Thunder Dragon returned to. All the Robots were given propeller upgrades to enhance their usefulness in rebuilding, but the derelict mining facility was proving to be an irksome problem. The place had a scorpion infestation, and no amount of land revitalization was going to drive them out.

Link and Zelda were still in the area. It seemed pretty obvious that neither trusted the new leader of Lanayru Province. Sometimes, Gorgonis could swear one of the two was watching him from afar. When there wasn't an immediate task at hand, he had plenty of time to think to himself. His thoughts would eventually drift to his allies that he made a deal with.

That evening, Gorgonis was taking a midnight stroll around the region, and eventually made his way to the front of the mining facility. He felt a familiar magic spike in the air in front of him, and stabbed his sword into it. Instead of trying to mentally enter the Silent Realm, he sent energy in. The gate grew slightly wider but like his previous few attempts, even with the help of the Triforce and Dark Mirror, the gate would just not budge at all, allowing nothing to cross except the mind of one being. Perhaps he needed magic from the realm's creator, but asking her would only bring up many more questions that didn't need to be asked.

He explained his intentions to four other Vailcon, who understood the reasoning behind those intentions. They slowly approached the two modest tents that Link and Zelda set up on the outskirts of the basin, and Gorgonis noticed a telescope sitting on a tripod close by, angled down towards the facility.

"So they were spying on me the whole time, and it is obvious they do not trust me despite witnessing the final truce between me and the Trinity." He thought.

The four Vailcon cast a simple barrier spell on Link's tent that blocked sound coming from outside. Gorgonis then sat down and began to meditate, slowly crafting another spell directed at Zelda's tent. It caused her to wake, yet still remain asleep mentally. She was only susceptible to this due to her mortal body - it would not have worked on a Goddess in the flesh.

The five Vailcon guided the sleepwalking Zelda to the Silent Realm entrance, where the first four casted another spell to painlessly render her unconscious. Gorgonis then drew upon the energies of the Dark Mirror, circling Zelda with a black ring. With a brief shock of magic, it caused a temporary decoupling of her soul and body. Gorgonis then split the vast majority of Hylia's spiritual energy from her mind, leaving enough to keep her alive but nothing more as her soul re-entered her body, still kept unconscious by the spell of the others.

The concentrated spiritual energy was focused on the Silent Realm entrance, using the Dark Mirror as a lens to concentrate it further. Slowly, the entrance glowed a golden white as it expanded, until it was about twelve feet across. Gorgonis walked inside the entrance and his whole being teleported in to revisit his allies.

The guardians had made up their minds: they wanted to leave their world and enter the real one now that their assigned task was done.

As he entered, one of them immediately spoke, "You said that you were going to help us, but yet you have not spoken to us in weeks. What kept you so long?"

"Inconveniences like that do not matter now, for the portal is nearly complete. However, you all need stronger physical forms, not to mention new ones that show that you're no longer working for Hylia." Gorgonis says in return to all of them.

He climbs onto the top of the Silent Realm's derelict mining facility, avoiding the still-present quicksand. The strange light fruits that were never used by the hero on his way through remained to this day. Using his own magic, Gorgonis caused all of them to levitate and fly towards his person. One by one, he grabbed each and allowed the power of the Dark Mirror to flow into it, turning the white light inside dark. After all of them turned dark, the skins deteriorated, and each dark orb made its way to a Guardian. Each fused with a Guardian, and slowly caused the white armor to crack and fall off.

The mace-wielding Guardians were now coated in heavy armor resembling Gorgonis's own. Each had three piercing red eyes, and the old maces were switched out in favor of polearms with curved, forward swept blades on either end. As a backup weapon, each of these Guardians was also given two short swords. The flying Guardians transformed into shapes similar to their brethren, but donned considerably lighter armor. Even though they now had legs, they could still phase through matter at will. In place of twin swords, they were armed with giant crossbows.

Link awoke to a harsh glow coming in the door of his tent. He could hear nothing, but upon stepping outside he was suddenly assaulted with sound, and saw the portal slowly pulsating. What was far more concerning, though, were four Vailcon standing guard nearby and Zelda unconsious next to them. Link immediately began to sprint towards the location, sword already drawn, but as he was closing in, Gorgonis materialized inside the golden portal and walked out. He drew one of his four swords and intercepted Link.

"What were you doing with her you two-faced freak!" Link yelled

"What I needed her sleeping Goddess powers for is already done, and there isn't anything you can do about it. She is only unconsious and is still alive, so why are you throwing a fit like some little kid?" Gorgonis calmly replied.

Before Link could continue yelling, Zelda began to stir, and was feeling light-headed. Link immediately ran to her side, Gorgonis not really caring what those two do at the moment since they couldn't stop what was happening anyway. Floating orbs of light began to appear inside the portal as it extended into a pillar of light that pierced the cloud barrier above. It was as if the air in the two worlds was mixing.

Before Link could say anything more, black shards began to appear inside the portal, slowly coalesing into a humanlike shape that grew from the feet up. The being manifested as a black-armored knight with two swords at its back and a ten-foot long double-bladed naginata in its right hand, firmly planted in the earth. But as its three bright red eyes became visible, Link immediately knew what this being was.

"Welcome to the real world, Guardians of the Silent Realm!" Gorgonis exclaimed.

The "Dark Guardian" extended an arm to the portal's edge, where it unexpectedly vanished. It reappeared as it pulled the arm back. It waited a moment and tried again, and the arm went through with no complications, after which the being walked out and inhaled a deep breath of real air. It stuck its head back in the portal and said, "The portal to the real world is stable. Signal the rest of our brethren in the shadow duplicates of the other provinces and get them to come through."

It first extends an arm in greeting towards Gorgonis, shakes hands, and then walks towards Link, saying, "Don't look so frightened. We did our assigned task for you, and after Gorgonis informed us all that no more heroes would ever enter our world to be tested, that we were destined to rot in our duplicate, perpetually frozen world, we wanted to get out and he helped us do so after we helped him return to reality a few weeks ago."

"I...I still don't understand why you are doing such tasks. I thought your goals were satisfied when your land was revived!" Link said to Gorgonis.

Gorgonis just laughs and responds, "Little Boy, you fail to comprehend the depth of my intentions. The Dark Guardians will become the elite wing of Lanayru's new military force. Just as the Trinity originally wiped my people out, our nation was poised to expand its influence into other provinces. We are the most advanced civilization to ever walk on this planet so far, and we will leave our mark on the world! Not one of brutality and bloodshed, but rather extending an arm of allegiance to the other races after they let us colonize the rest of the world. A military force will act as a defense to maintain that expanded nation. And finally, in all honesty, with organized demon forces virtually extinct, there is no more point for a cloud barrier to exist or even Skyloft to remain airborne. Even after eight thousand years, you still haven't even caught up to Lanayru's _former_ power, let alone what it _currently_ is.

 _It is time for humans to get their heads out of the clouds, permanently."_


	20. Chapter 20: An Irksome Problem, No More

Chapter 20: An Irksome Problem, No More

Once the first Dark Guardian made it through, the rest gradually warped into reality in groups of eight or ten. By the end of the week, there were almost as many of them as there were Vailcon, five hundred in all. After the last of them made it through, the portal to the Silent Realm shut forever.

Gorgonis then proceeded to speak up to all of them, "You all may be my elite soldiers, but you're all free to live your lives as you see fit. All I ask is to answer your nation's call when we need you. Currently, the only major task I have for you all is to clear out the Aracha infestation inside the mining facility, which consists largely of juveniles but may include one or more adults. Once that is done we can begin the reconstruction and upgrade of the mining facility. I will lead the extermination alongside you."

With that said, Gorgonis opens the ancient doorway to the mining facility. It had been opened a few days ago in an attempt to clean out all the quicksand, but the Aracha infestation inside grew from a simple annoyance to an intolerable problem the deeper they went. Hence the door was re-sealed until now. In groups of four, the Dark Guardians followed their new leader down the derelict staircase. As they descended, ancient torches that had gone out long ago were filled with glowing amethyst stones.

The entry chamber was cleared of Aracha already. Even though it appeared safe, the group double-checked each of the fallen statues to make sure it was still swept clean of the things. Every dirt pile was checked. After the first few rooms, however, the infestation began to show its true colors. Room after room full of quicksand and one-eyed scorpions, alongside assorted other wild beasts, mostly consisting of Keese, Chus, and Blowfish. Any and all Timeshift Stones were marked but purposely not activated; robotic security mechanisms would re-activate and become even greater problems than the scorpions. The group gradually split up to cover all rooms, making a detailed map to replace the one that Link found when he came through here.

The Guardians proved to be very capable warriors, and not a single one actually got injured so far. Multiple doorways were covered in chains and had to be cut open. Unlike when Link passed through here, multiple rooms had adult Aracha, otherwise known as Moldarach. Gorgonis took on one single-handed, saying, "They look more threatening than they actually are." as he impaled both of the eyes in the beast's arms with the Void Katana and Nova Rapier. Three Guardians took advantage of the opporitunity and proceeded to sever the beast's claws and tail. When its main means of attack were nullified, its central eye opened, only to be impaled with multiple crossbow bolts for the death blow. The Guardians split up into groups of five and copied this means of attack on seven more Moldarach as they swept the ancient mining facility. The final chamber was a massive drop into what used to be a track-changing station for mine carts. A solid gold doorway opened before the group, and all that was left was a tunnel to Lanayru's Temple of Time.

"You all did well, everyone." Gorgonis says as he activates the power of the Dark Mirror to make a bridge across. They emerge in the ruins of the temple, with a pile of rock still sitting where the Gate of Time once stood for eons.

"Now, with the scorpion infestation cleansed, go back in and keep every single doorway open." Gorgonis tells the Dark Guardians

"We do not understand why." One responds

"Oh, you will very soon. It's not for a trivial reason either." He answers

They go back inside the temple, albeit reluctantly. Over the course of half an hour, they prop open every single doorway while Gorgonis meditates. He summons the Dark Mirror before him, and it unleashes a massive gale of wind that enters the ancient mining facility, picking up all the sand with it before bursting forth out the front entrance in a massive torrent. This torrent of sand was then guided out to sea, where it began to scatter and settle on the seabed to the west. This wind picked up the Guardians as well and placed them outside the front entrance to the mining facility. The last major hurdle to Lanayru's reconstruction is now silenced.


	21. Chapter 21: Renovations and Questions

Chapter 21: Renovation of the Mining Facility

With the infestation cleared, the real work could begin. The Guardians were occupied making living quarters for themselves, so that left the Vailcon and Robots. Gorgonis was occupied making a detailed set of plans for the updated facility. The old one had to be completely disassembled and replaced, as all the metal components inside were rusted beyond repair ages ago. The outer sandstone walls were also just as old and outdated. Gorgonis envisioned something greater, something to better display Lanayru's technological prowess to any visitors.

Link and Zelda were still racing at what Gorgonis told them: "It is time that the humans get their heads out of the clouds, permanently."

Yet, given the current situation, neither could fully decipher the true meaning of that message. He was partly right that there were no more demon hordes to worry about, so why stay up in the sky? Yet his tone of voice suggested something else, even though Lanayru had no real weapons currently aside from small arms on the Dark Guardian forces. Even if he was to make some way of attacking Skyloft, it wouldn't happen for several months at the absolute earliest.

"We should go back to Skyloft, Link. He won't tell us details of his future plans, and our families and friends up in Skyloft are likely very concerned about us. We left without any notice several days ago, after all." Zelda explained to Link

"How will we be able to keep track of what's going on down here? I still cannot bring myself to trust him, especially after what he just said." Link asked with noticeable concern in his voice

"The most we can do is return to Skyloft right now. He has no means of actually attacking Skyloft and won't for at least several months. We need not worry everyone back home; we could descend to Faron and cross into Lanayru on foot to keep updated on what is going on. And I don't want to overstay our welcome and give him a reason to come after us." Zelda replied

Despite fears now suppressed to the backs of their minds, they began to pack up their things to leave. Zelda suggested leaving on a formal note to attempt to keep good relations with their new neighbor. Despite his own understandable mistrust of Gorgonis, Link agreed to this.

"Oh, so you two are leaving?" Gorgonis asked with a bit of surprise in his voice

"We also have family and friends back home who are most likely very concerned about our whereabouts." Zelda responded

Even Nayru showed up to send them off, creating a beacon near her new home in the Lanayru Gorge so either could drop by for a visit.

"Don't worry about what's going on down here too much. I can keep an eye on things. That being said, you're welcome to visit me anytime." Nayru told Zelda as she activated one of the many Bird Statues in the region to ascend to Skyloft. Link quickly follwed suit, still nevertheless mentally preoccupied with what happened recently.

Once Link and Zelda were propelled up into the sky, Gorgonis began to tell his people, "Even though the metal in the mining facility is heavily rusted, it may not be completely useless." He demonstrates this by drawing one of his swords and striking an ancient pipe, cutting through rust to reveal intact steel underneath. "As for the rusted portion, that can be smelted into useable metal again like the original ore. Robots, I need you to go to the mines and find deposits of limestone and coal. Both will be needed to extract the iron from all these rusted components. I will help my people build the smelter out of the crystals." He explains to all present.

"If the Amethyst is so strong, then why do we even need steel?" One of the Vailcon asks

"The crystals are fairly strong, but are rather brittle. If we're to show this world what we're capable of, we will need a firm defense. The crystals can withstand extreme heat and even function as power sources." Gorgonis replies

Nayru overheard this as she began to make her way back to her residence in the Lanayru Gorge. She was somewhat concerned, since a "firm defense" would only be vital if Lanayru was going to start a war. Thankfully, the Vailcon trusted her, so she might be able to use that to her advantage and keep a watchful eye on their plans.

The Vailcon were fusing crystal beams together into what would soon be a smelter, situated on the edge of the basin. Amethyst plates were being grown together on top of this framework, into a tall tower about a hundred feet high. The amethyst grew almost like plants and fungi would; the base of this tower was curved upward at the edges into a bowl shape. A bath of nutrients and water swirled inside, which combined with minerals from the ground and sunlight, caused the plates of amethyst to steadily grow upwards over the framework at a pace just barely visible to the naked eye. An inner layer was growing upwards as well. Pieces of pipe were fixed to the frame to create necessary holes for it to function properly once finished. These holes would let in air and rusted metal parts near the top while letting molten iron and slag drain out at the base. Meanwhile, the Robots were recolonizing their old mines and were looking for limestone and coal deposits, while other Vailcon were hauling rusted metal out of the mining facility and surrounding regions. A few Beamos were being rebuilt and used to cut metal parts into moveable pieces.

Gorgonis thought to himself, "Things are slowly beginning to take off. It will take a while to rebuild our nation after eight thousand years of rusting in silence, but once we're finished we'll emerge far stronger than we were at the time of our previous extinction. I do hope that the sky child informs the other humans of our presence, for I would like to settle things peacefully if possible in the coming year."

Unlike the last time, Link and Zelda were able to return to Skyloft with no harassment from wild beasts. The both landed in front of the Academy to speak with Zelda's father, the Headmaster.

Upon seeing her safe, Zelda recieved a long hug from her father, who then asked, "What kept you two away so long, and is there anything wrong I should know about?"

"We were down on the surface, under the pillar of golden light to the west. What was once a series of ancient ruins is now reinhabited by a race of beings that may threaten our existence in the future! Their leader even stole the Triforce!" Zelda exclaimed

"What kind of beings do you speak of, child?" He asks, noticeably concerned but not yet convinced.

"Crystalline skin with an Amethyst hue, anywhere from two to six arms, technology far beyond ours, and much older than the human race. They were the original builders of Robots like the one Gondo has."

The Headmaster searches through his collection of ancient texts for anything resembling this, but finds nothing. "Even though you're my only daughter, I cannot fully believe this. Can you imagine what sort of panic may ensue if I informed everyone on the sky islands that they could come under attack at any time from beings they have not seen nor heard of?"

Zelda stops arguing and grabs her father's hand, saying, "I'll show you, then."

Link, Zelda, and the Headmaster all leap off Skyloft and call their Loftwings; the Headmaster's is the same one used in the annual competition. Reluctantly, the three fly into the pillar of golden light marking Lanayru Province.

Then a tiny object on Zelda's shoulder starts glowing a deep violet, one she never even noticed when she left. Almost reacting to the light, a similarly-colored barrier forms in front of them, extending over the whole province. A voice is heard through the gemstone that signaled their return, saying, "I figured that you two meddlesome fools would try and come back, though I did not expect it to be so soon! We are not bothering you and thus do not want to be bothered by you!"

The voice was undoubtedly that of Gorgonis. Zelda trashed the amethyst piece as they landed just outside the barrier's edge.

Link spoke up, "We can get through the barrier on foot - there's a decent gap near ground level. If we're seriously going to spy on them like this, then we should enter sometime after nightfall."

"I'm sorry Zelda, but I'm not yet completely convinced to what you say. What just transpired definitely worries me, but it could have been a simple magic trick you staged." The Headmaster explains, "I've seen you occasionally practicing strange new magic ever since your first journey down here ended."

Zelda responds in a somewhat saddened tone, "I get that as the unofficial leader of Skyloft, you have to be skeptical when confronting matters such as this. It's like you said: you want to avoid causing a panic if at all possible. You'll know fairly soon that I'm telling the truth."

The Headmaster turns to Link, "What do you think of all this?"

At first Link felt slightly angry that the Headmaster was not yet fully taking Zelda's story seriously, but he too understood why, "I can pretty much confirm everything that's happened down here, but the leader of the race of beings down here - the Vailcon - specifically said 'It's time for the humans to get their heads out of the clouds, _permanently_ ,' which has been worrying me for awhile now. I do not know what exactly he meant."

The Headmaster was deep in thought, "Maybe he wants to attack Skyloft with something? Maybe he wants humans to return to the surface now that the monsters are almost completely gone? I'll admit, that comment is just as bothersome to me as it is to you, but unless I see definitive proof of some danger to Skyloft I won't tell the rest of the people there or it will only incite pandemonium."

The silence was unnerving for the rest of the evening.

The small group continued inland on foot. There was more or less a constant sea breeze from the restored Lanayru Ocean, sweeping far inland. As they travelled further, they eventually reached one of the giant robot statues that was, until recently, in a great state of disrepair. Much like the one he landed on during his travels the ladder on this one was also intact. Link spotted something off in the distance and pulls out his telescope.

After looking in closer detail at what he spotted, Link's face turned even whiter than normal. He shakily hands it to Zelda, who then sees what Link saw and starts breaking out with a cold sweat. Then the Headmaster looks through the scope. He sees a small group of beings walking to one of the fallen platforms, and quietly asks, "Are these the Vailcon you told me about?"

Zelda and Link both nod, and the continue observing. It's none other than Gorgonis and at least four other Vailcon, plus six of his "Dark Guardians." With them though, is a sort of levitating sled carrying large boxes of something. Gorgonis speaks something unintelligible and levitates the broken down robot statue while the other Vailcon begin repairing it. Once done, the sled is moved on top of the statue. The box opens, revealing a puzzling creation.

The creation starts glowing, centered around a single violet eye on the head of what is apparently a Beamos. The body, however, unfolds and stands up. It is a nine-foot tall bipedal robot with two tubular structures attached to its shoulders. The structures have handles and triggers, suggesting them to be projectile launchers. The robot unfolds its arms and opens its three-fingered hands, which crackle with violet electricity. The tubes rotate over the shoulders and point straight ahead. The three of them hear Gorgonis say one word: "Fire."

The robot grabs the handle of one launcher, aims it at a nearby giant boulder, and pulls the trigger. A round, propeller-driven object flies out, hits the rock, and detonates, blowing away a good chunk of the thing. Next, it fires the other tubular launcher and a small missile flies out. The robot turns its head and the missile follows its gaze before being guided into the rock from above. Then, its eye starts glowing before a violet electric beam shoots out, leaving a scorch mark on the rock. Finally, it stands still as one of the Dark Guardians aims his crossbow at the robot's eye. The bolt hits and glances off the eye crystal. If high-powered magic crossbows can't punch through that crystal, there's no way in hell that Link's Sacred Bow could possibly do so.

When the tests are done, the Vailcon talk amongst themselves while the robot stands there and looks around.

"Sir, heat anomaly detected on that statue over there." It says to Gorgonis in a digital

voice.

"What kind of heat anomaly? Don't you know that rocks absorb heat differently than plants?" Gorgonis responds, slightly annoyed at the interruption.

"The anomaly is more _concentrated_ than that sort of signature. Suggests presence of life-forms, different heat signature than Vailcon."

Link cursed under his breath, and the group quickly lept off the backside of the statue, before finding a small doorway on it and hiding inside. Everyone heard the Vailcon walking on top of the hollow statue, before Gorgonis speaks up, saying "What have we here? A _rupee_?"

Even though he wasn't found yet, Link felt around in his pockets. Sure enough, there was a small hole in the pocket with his wallet that he didn't notice before.

"Rhythmic electrical anomalies detected, different pace than Vailcon heartbeats, further confirmation of life forms."

All of the group paled. The robot could sense _heartbeats_?

Before they could react further, it opened the entryway to the statue.


	22. Chapter 22: Caught

Chapter 22: Caught

"Welcome back, _hero_." Gorgonis said in a rather mocking tone of voice. "I figured you'd come back sooner or later, but this soon? And who is this older man you brought with you?"

Before Zelda could say anything, her Father spoke up, "I am Headmaster Gaepora, Zelda's father and more or less the unofficial leader of Skyloft."

Gorgonis sighed, "I did want to meet whoever leads the humans up in the clouds at a later date, as rebuilding a country that has been rusting in silence for several thousand years will take a long time. But I suppose peaceful negotiations to clear up misconceptions could happen now before they snowball into a war."

Zelda then raised her voice despite her father trying to calm her down, "If you don't want a war, then why were you testing _that machine_? Because there are few other uses for something like that except as a war machine. I've seen what magic your people can do - you don't need something like this to clear out old blockages in the mines, nor do you need it to remove monster infestations in your buildings or to recycle old metal parts made useless by time. There is _nothing else you could possibly use it for except in war_."

Gorgonis replied calmly, "Lanayru did have a defense force of sorts before the goddesses intervened on an assumption of theirs. I have no idea what sort of situations could befall my newly revived nation, but I will tell you this much: _I will protect my homeland and this robot is part of that_."

Zelda's voice then changed to a mocking tone, "Except you don't get it at all, do you? There _is_ no other organized threat to your people. Wild monsters are everywhere but very single-minded. There are only a few hundred humans at most in Skyloft. Neither Skyloft nor the Mogmas of Eldin province have any sort of organized militia to speak of, so there is nothing to defend against with something like that."

Gorgonis's brow furrowed in annoyance, "I've told you all I'm going to tell you, _Hylia_. But you are right that I did not know what sort of advancements the other civilizations have made in my absence. I was, after all, bound to the soul of Demise for the past 8,000 years, so _thank you for the information, and no offense, but please, just shut up already._ "

Finally Groose spoke up, "How do we know we can trust you?"

"The fact that I'm even willing to have said negotiations now should ring a few bells in that half-empty head of yours. And yes, Ghirahim told me all about you and your appalling hairdo." Gorgonis replied, still clearly annoyed that the others hadn't gotten the message to shut up already.

While Groose was speechless, Link was deep in thought about the whole thing, and Headmaster Gaepora spoke up, "Where are you leading us? We could have these negotiations anywhere."

Gorgonis dispelled residual anger at the change of subject, "We're headed to Lanayru Gorge, to meet with the goddess Nayru. If you don't believe what I've told you then she can most definitely confirm it."


	23. Chapter 23: Negotiations

Chapter 23: Negotiations

With the return of the rains and the power of the goddesses used on the withered lands, Lanayru Gorge was beautiful. In thanks to the goddess for choosing to stay in these lands, a few Vailcon chose to help her build a home to live in. The house was fairly small, as per her request for something humble. She personally helped build it alongside the Vailcon that helped her.

Nayru was planting a small garden outside her recently finished house, over by the rejuvenated waterfall of the Gorge. A small aqueduct guided water along a thin canal system to water the plants, and rather copious amounts of the Lanayru Dragonflies were ensuring that no pest insects would dare try to attack the plants.

Unlike her first encounter, Nayru was wearing clothes more suitable to what she has been doing. Instead of the ornate gold and sapphire-embroidered dress from before, she was wearing a simple knee-length skirt and sleeveless top, better suited to the now tropical weather of the region. She still wore her Spiritual Stone as a necklace, and had small, similarly shaped earrings.

"Why hello again Hylia, Gorgonis, and Link. Who are these people you brought with you to talk to me?" She said, very relaxed but curious.

While Groose was mildly annoyed that she didn't recognize him (given that he was there before when they all left), he introduced himself, "I'm Groose, a good friend of Link and Zelda."

"And I am Headmaster Gaepora, the unofficial leader of Skyloft. It is truly an honor to meet a goddess in the mortal plane." He said with a bow.

Nayru giggled and said, "Oh no need for that kind of formality here. But thank you anyway. So why have you all come here?"

Gaepora responded, "The being named Gorgonis said he wanted to have some peaceful negotiations with the humans, but considering wht they've witnessed, Link, Groose, and Zelda do not believe him. Hence we came to meet you and have said negotiations with you as an intermediary."

Nayru's expression visibly darkened as she was deep in thought, _why would they need negotiations when these two civilizations are about as separate as one can possibly be?_ "Alright, I'll help you clear out any misconceptions."

"Thank You, Nayru." Gorgonis said with a bow.

"I'm simply wanting to understand why the humans continue to remain up in their little _fiefdom_ in the sky." He continued.

Gaepora had an almost insulted look on his face at that word, but his reply was simple, "The surface still deeply frightens a considerable number of our people, until just a few months ago we all thought that below the clouds was nothing. I instructed Link and Zelda to not talk much about their adventures down here, to avoid creating panic among the people of Skyloft."

Gorgonis raised an eyebrow at this, "But you're their effective authority figure! Surely there must be a way to inform everyone without scaring them to death?"

"It's harder than you might think to un-learn something drilled into your head since you could read, but I guess the Vailcon have no parallel with their long lifespans, correct?" Gaepora retorted. "What is your real goal here, Gorgonis? You clearly want humans to return to the surface. Why?"

"Two main reasons. Firstly, the holy power of your Goddess isn't limitless, and your current home of Skyloft would come crashing to the surface anyway not too far in the future if you don't begin resettling elsewhere. The act of sending the humans to the sky was a temporary measure by Hylia to prevent complete extermination of the human race. Now monster forces have no real leader anymore, and have dwindled to wild carnivorous plants and animals merely defending themselves. Demise has been exterminated. With no more reason to keep holding up the spell, it'll sooner or later collapse on itself and take your home with it."

Gaepora was initially shocked by this, and asked, "How are you certain of this?"

Gorgonis snickered a bit, "I am very experienced in the workings of magic, and have seen even how strong the magic of the goddesses is firsthand. The Trinity remain in their immortal forms and thus have near-limitless magic power to sustain whatever they wish. Your Hylia – or should I call her Zelda – passed into a mortal form with far smaller reserves of magic than she originally had. Even now, the spell holding up Skyloft is a very quiet trickle on her power, one she may not even be aware of until now. She limited her own power to stop Demise, and in the process created this oncoming problem."

Zelda spoke up this time, "And what might be your other reason for wanting humans to return to the surface?"

"My people would like to bury the distant past and open up trade with all the other provinces – currently we lack efficient means to get anything of meaningful quantity up to where you reside now. We've already extended an open arm to the Mogmas and Gorons, but there are currently no practical beings to trade with in Faron Province. The Kikwis are intelligent but they have nothing of value to us and also want nothing from us – I've already sent messengers to them and can confirm this."

Nayru was listening intently to everything being said, and while she had suspicions that some of what Gorgonis was saying wasn't entirely truthful, he was not showing signs of what was truth and what was false.

"Zelda, have you been feeling any sort of this drain on your energy that Gorgonis speaks of?" Nayru inquired

"I….I don't know. Occasionally when I'm waking up, I feel a profound sort of tiredness I can't explain, which then gets buried in the normal stuff of the day. Maybe that is it, but I can't be sure." Her expression changed from worry to anger, "What I do know is that I only started feeling this occasional tiredness after a considerable amount of my power was drained by Gorgonis when he opened the Silent Realm to let the Guardians loose from there!"

Before anyone could fully comprehend what was going on, Nayru had already pinned Gorgonis to the nearest cliff face with strong magic shackles, rage evident in her eyes. "So you're double-crossing even me, aren't you? Wanting simple trade with the humans would not require you do such a thing! You scare the humans with the possibility of Skyloft falling to the surface, and you expedite it for what reason exactly?!"

"I already had made a deal with the Guardians in the Silent Realm – it was made by Hylia, and I had already tried using energy from both the Dark Mirror and Triforce to open the gate to it to hold up my end of the deal. Using her power was the only way to open it for long enough for them to pass through to the real world." He said with a surprisingly straight face

Except Nayru didn't quite take this for a definitive answer, and instead drew her sword. "You have given me no reason to believe you and have shattered what trust I might have had in your kind. I really doubt you're telling me the whole story. _You clearly want Skyloft to fall from the sky, the question is why._ "

Gorgonis merely grinned a little bit, and said "Humans have the entire planet at their disposal and within reach, yet they don't make use of any of it. Their heads are in the clouds, literally. An unfortunate consequence of me holding up a bargain with the Guardians merely makes the issue of Skyloft falling something bound to happen in the next decade instead of something that would happen a few hundred years from now. The land is in need of a defining force to shape its future – and my people are poised to be that force. Exactly in what way, that will be determined by the actions of the other races."

Gaepora felt backed into a corner now, but his resolve was far from depleted, "Humanity won't be forced out of our home because some 8,000-year old being that came back from the edge of death told us to. I do not mind opening ourselves to trade, but I will make this clear: _we are not leaving Skyloft and you cannot change this fact._ "

Gorgonis was surprisingly unaffected by this response, as if expecting it, "Your tenacity is amazingly stupid sometimes. I can't believe the Trinity played favorites with a kind as stubborn as yourselves. Fall with your home then, I don't particularly care what you do at this point."

In a small gesture of force, he broke from the spell holding him to the cliff face. "The winds of change are unstoppable, even the goddesses can at most slightly slow them down. Races rise and fall over millennia, often because they refuse to see the writing on the wall until it's too late to save themselves. I wonder, will the humans follow that same fate?"

He teleports away, leaving everyone else, including Nayru, stunned.


End file.
